Evening star., 1924-09-07
MCDONALD POLICY
HELD DANGEROUS
French Statesman Sees No
Hope in Arbitration With
out Securities.
BY ANDRE TARDIEU.

By Radio to The Star.
PARIS, September 6.-No man of
good will would try to still with pes
smistic words the wind of optimism
that has blown throughout the world
since the close of the London con-
ference and the opening of the pres
ent assembly of the League of Ma
tions. But no man of good faith
! would attempt to hide under vague
phrases the extreme gravity of the
speech pronounced Thursday at
Geneva by Prime Minister Macdonald.
Let US leave out of Considera ton
those unfortunate phrases which pro-
duced the most alarm at the moment
such as remark about Upper Silesia,
which Mr.. Macdonald himself later
rectified somewhat embarrasedly. But
his whole thesis of peace, security
and arbitration in it's critical as well
as its constructive parts, many
Frenchmen regard as a tangle Of con-
tradictions and traps.
Founded on Treaties.
Mr.. Macdonald denies that arrna-
ments or treaties have ever created
security and he concludes that to
create it We must have something
new which he calls compulsory arbi-
tration. But the French view is that
this very arbitration principle is es-
tablished by treaty, and who shall
say that this treaty will be better re-
spected than others, and if it is not
respected, what force will enforce it?
If national forces. then we are back
where we started. If an interna-
tional force, then the whole problem
of the League of Nations and armed
forces under it's command is again
broached.
1t is already forgotten that in 1919
it was the British who most vehe-
mently rejected the French proposal
to equip the League with an armed
force. Surely Mr.. Macdonald, after
his comments on the Leagues recent
disarmament project and the pro-
posed treaty of mutual assistance will
not reverse that policy. And so his
arbitration plan is built on sand and
he proposes to take away what Sc
curity rests In arms without giving
the disarmed nations any substitute.
Advantages to Britain.
France has seen since the Wash
ington conference that British dis
armament projects mean nothing ex-
cept continuing British sea Suprem-
acy at less expense. The Washington
treaty absolved Great Britain from
running an armament race with the
United States, in which it certainly
would have lost because of its lesser
financial resources. True, a Labor
government has since then replaced
Conservative government, but this
Labor government, in the very midst
of the London peace conference, or
ganized the formidable Spithead re-
view demonstrating Great Britains
naval supremacy.
France, which signed the Washington
treaties feels that it cannot safely
make similar sacrifice of land arma-
ments. That is what Premier Herriot
tried to show by linking the three
terns-secuity, disarmament. arbitra-
ton. What chance is there for real
unequivocal agreement between this
conception which Frances situation
ob'igcs her to maintain. and Mr.. Mac
Donald's democratic imperialist scheme?
Actions in 1914.
This opposition does not surprise
France, which knows that statesman's
ideas are often best illustrated by his
acts. Mr. Macdonald, who says that
only historians so years hence can set
tie the responsibility for the war, did
not think his country should aid Bel
gium. Now he proc'aims Great Britain's
determination to execute all treaties to
the letter. but in 1914 he refused to
vote a declaration of war which the
Belgian neutrality treaty required. He
the League of Nations in the position
of begging Germany to join, although
Germany has never asked for aimis-
sion. What does this mean except that
Macdonald is one of those 'realists"
for whom historical facts have no mean
ing unless they agree with their par
ticu!ar dogmas or party or national in
tereStS?
Mr.. Macdonald since becoming pre-
mier has adopted all of those British
imperialist policies which have most
disturbed other nations at critical
moments. With these he has mixed
principles of international socialism
and the mixture is not reassuring
The London conference revised all the
financial clauses of the 1919 treaties
Mr.. MacDonald's Geneva speech de-
mands revision of all political and
even moral clauses. France regards
this is a serious menace to central
European nations as well as France
Four years of Frances mistakes have
paved the way. 1t is not new to
those who have followed events care
fully, but now it is coming out and
sharp where everybody can see.
August saw tremendous effort to
reconcile French divergences, but it
Is to be feared that September will
bring Disappointment to those who
believed those efforts had been sue
c1SSful.
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