Evening star., 1924-11-08
France Seen Under Necessity
10 Recognize Soviet Russia

| FRANCES recognition of the Russian
| SOVIET government is viewed by the
American press as move impelled by
| poilucai and financial necessity. the
| outcome of which is doubtful to say the
| least. Most of the editors conrnentinp
agree with the feeling of the Chicago
| Daily News that the Russians now in
| power will talk and negotiate but
| there is no evidence that they are ready
for any fair compromise or for the ar-
| ceptance of international law and inter-
| national morality
| The step is particularly remarkable
] IN the opinion of the Rochester Times
Union, coming, as it does, just at the
! time when charges of revolutionary
propaganda by the bolsheviki are hefna
raised in the British press The Times
| Union thinks Herriot was influenced, in
| part, as Macdonald was, bv tho
! necessity of holding his own more radi-
! cal followers in line, and another mo-
| tive is the shope that negotiations for
! the settlement of the pre-War debt oues-
| ton may be opened and carried through
| 10 successful conclusion. The Soviet
| regime, this paper concludes "is not
yet ready to treat with the rest of the
world on reasonable terms There is no
| harm IN trying to treat with it, as NJ
Herrlot intends doing. But success is
to put the matter mildly. doubtful"
Believing that political expediency
| demanded that Herriot shake hands
with Moscow upon Moscow's terms. -
| the New York Evening Post declares
now 1t IS up to the Herriot government
/ to straighten out the tangie as best
it can, and it will be no surprise il
| Moscow presents to France a blank
| check such the British government
| nnally had to sign; neither will there
! be any great surprise if Herriot takes
a tumble before the tangle is smoothed
| out. Nevertheless, it is a step, re-
marks the Providence Journal, "tha,
France seems impelled to take, not be-
| cause she has any more respect for the
Soviet government than hitherto, but
! rather because the tactics of Great Brit
ain and Italy have virtually driven he1
| to this course"
| While France has recognized Russia
| the Brooklyn Eagle notes, "she has
not relinquished any of her claims. and
they are listed in the note making eff
fective the new accord and all differ
ences are yet to be subjected to ne.
| gotiations. at remains to to be seen,
adds the Eagle, whether the plan OF
recognizing the Soviet regime first and
negotiating with it afterward is better
| than the old policy of waiting Ir
| any event, the Springfield Republican
! is sure, ''England's experience shows
that the French government must be
prepared for stiff and tedious discus
| sions, for the Soviet's diplomats are
given to driving hard bargains. Whether
the Anglo Russian treaty will be rati-
| fed is yet to be seen, but it's failure
would perhaps encourage the French tc
| push their own negotiations with {
| view to taking the place let slip by the
British. The difficulties, however, are
many, including the question of the
extent of Russian sovereignty, as fol
| example in Georgia, and if the British
loan falls through, the Russians will
| probably expect the French to take
Great Britain's place as a banker"
| Recognition by France, the st. Pau
| Pioneer Press finds of particular in
| terest because of the extent of French
| holdings in Russia before the wal
| and the large amount of imperia
| Russian bonds in French hands
| THAT the French have in mind 6
| kind of Dawes plan for Russia" the
| Pioneer Press suggests, sis indicated
| in suggestions for the financial resur'
| rection of the country through inter
national credits" but until Russia
| is able to provide at least the or
| binary forms of security it is futile
to talk about international credits
Like the other nations of the world
to whom Russia is indebted, says thu