Evening star., 1924-11-16

the same courage which he showed
then may enable him TO deal with
the French debt
Beyond all question, if France and
Britain fall out again the settlement
in Europe, which has made enor-
nous progress in the current year
will be arrested and even in part
upset Such a calamity would also
give the Germans an incentive to re-
sumo the course which they followed
in the days of Lloyd George and
Curzon. to their ultimate disaster, as
the Ruhr adventure demonstrated
II such a falling out remains possl-
bic. however, it is by no means in
evita bic.
Mr.. Baldwin's decision against the
reappointmcHt Of Lord Curzon for
tho foreign office is an obvious
recognition Of the disa sirous failure
Of Curzon made during his last stay
there and quite as much an appreCia-
ton of the fact that to give Curzon
the post. for which he was. an eager
candidate, would have an instantly
unfavorable effect in France. Austen
Chamberlain, who succeeds the Labor
prime minister instead Of Curzon
may be supposed to have shared
Lloyd Georges views in the coalition
ministry in which he served, and
stoSO NASN . NSlc pS IO IHcdHS
friendly to France. but he was not
foreign minister and comes to this
post now as q new man
Concession Is Seen.
After all, aside from the Curzon
change. the new cabinet is manifestIy
the expression of domestic rather
than foreign policy, but the French
and the continental countries gener-
ally read into the omission OF
Curzon-that is, the failure to re-
appoint him TO his old post Cot
course, he gets in the cabinet-a
concession to French sensibilities and
desire to avoid a return to the old
situation which existed when the
earlier Baldwin cabinet was in office
Certainly Austen Chamberlain, with
the family tradition behind him, is
unlikely to hit it off with Herriot as
we'll as Macdonald did But it ia
far from likely that Herriot will
long remain In power in France; a
change to BRAND is already indi-
Gated. Although he has been in
public life all his active career. Aus
ten Chamberlain has never made
more than a respectable success, and
he was passed over, as was Curzon,
when the question of Tory leadership
was raised by the retirement of
Bonar Law. Now he has the chance
to succeed where the Tories made
their most conspicuous failure in
their last two cabinets.
First Test Over Debts.
The first test must come over the
question of debts. which will involve
the chancellor of the exchequer as
we'll as the secretary of state for
fnrnipn 9ffairc ;c
Churchill as well as Austen Cham
berlain. On the success or failure
of these negotiations, as / have said
Will depend the Immediate future q,
Anglo-French relations and therefore
| of European reconstruction, for 1t is
automatic that when France and
Britain do not agree, European ad
! justment is halted, If it is not thrown
backward.
That the new government will re.
| ject the treaty which the Labor gov.
ernment made with Russia a few
weeks ago seems foregone conclu.
sion. AS a. matter Of fact, the Tories
with Liberal aid, were prepared to
! turn Labor out on this issue, and II
| was to avoid defeat here that Mac.
Donald accepted battle on the trivial
question OF tho Communist editor;
| escape from prosecution. Lloyd
Georges firtationS with Moscow
when he headed the coalition govern
ment were always severely criticized
by the Tory faction of the combina
ton. This does not mean that Bald
win will withdraw the recognition
which Macdonald gave the Sovie
government, but it does mean that il
will reject the treaty which was sub.
sequently negotiated and carried pro.
vision for a government-indors
loan to the Russians.
- - Copyright, 1924 a. -'".' -