Evening star., 1924-05-18
Needs of Nations to Force
Agreement on Dawes Plan

Continued from First Pase.)
that no German government can pos
sibly accept the Dawes report unless
military occupation as we'll as eco
nomic exploitation is ended
Two Facts Are Vital
As I see it, the situation in Ger
many turns upon two facts. In the
first place. despite the temporary re-
covery following the stabilization of
exchange through the rentenmark,
real rehabilitation depends upon a
foreign loan and no considerab BILE
foreign loan is conceivable save as
1T is a detail in a general liquidation
of the reparation tangle. In other
words Germany may get no money
abroad as long as she refuses to ac-
cept the Dawes report. And in the
end she cannot maintain her present
domestic, economic and financial bal
ance without a foreign loan.
Thus a German rejection Of the
Dawes report outright would be in
the nature of a domestic disaster
The rentenmark would collapse, there
would be a return of all the old
phenomena of imitation and all the
circumstances of chaos. Patiently
this is something big business in Ger
many would avoid, and on the other
side masses Of the people would wish
TO escape. And an open rejection
would not only not end Franco-Belgian
nf hr huf
certainly prolong it indefinitely.
That on the whole probably explains
why the parties advocating rejection
failed to get a majority.
On the other hand it is patent that
in the new temper Of Germany pro-
1onged occupation of the Ruhr would
be intolerable. Masses of Germans
believe sincerely enough that the
French are planning to remain
permanently in the Ruhr and on the
middle and lower Rhine; for them the
evacuation is quite as vital a matter
as was the liberation of the north and
east of France for the French during
the world war itself. Since the
Dawes report did not deal with this
question, any German cabinet is
bound to seek to have this question
also resolved and resolved in a Ger
man fashion before the Dawes re-
port is accepted.
Do Not Want War.
Despite their prediction thunder
ings it is plain that the Nationalists
have no desire to provoke a new war
or bring about fresh and more ex-
treme reprisals from the French.
They have already given fairly clear
proof OF their change in tone with
respect of tho Dawes report and
they remain totally incapable of en-
listing the necessary aid from the
Moderate parties, save as they scrap
their unconditional rejection OF this
plan.
We are pretty sure then to have
a new German ministry-or to see
the old ministry continued. pledged
to 20 to new conferences with the al
lies and discuss the terms Of the
Dawes report The chances that
Germany will not run all tho risks
incident to fiouting the sentiment of
the world and driving of all possible
financial aid by an unconditional re-
lection of tho Dawes plan arc slight
in the extreme In that direction lies
suicide.
But Germany is coming to a new
conference neither repentant nor sub
missive: she is coming to bargain
and she Is going to demand conces-
siona She is going to make a new
effort to divide her conQuerors, and
above all to reopen tho breach be-
tween France and Great Britain.
And, obviously, the whole maneuver
viii turp 1oon the military occupa-
ton Of the Ruhr. which Britain has
stanAny held to be illegal and Mac
Donald very frankly seeks to bring
to an end.
Powerful GeTmkAy AAead.
The world must recognize that the
Germany which lost the war il =
thing OF the uSt and that = new and
powerful Germany is gradually COM