Evening star., 1925-08-23
FEAR OF ANOTHER WAR
l. HANGS OVER ALL EUROPE
Desire for American Cooperation for
Peace Persists, But Obstacles in
Way Have Not Been Removed.

to postpone death, but they do moth
ing in the expectation that death can
be averted That seems 10 be about
the attitude of Europe with respect
to war. The craftsmanship of Europe
concerns itself with palliatives and
symptomatic treatment. There ap-
parently is no thought that a cure can
be effected.
Losing Faith i'm League.
There was a time, of course. when
mankind had high hopes that the
League of Nations might be the means
of freeing the world from war. That
hope today has about been abandoned
except by a few incurable optimists.
Europeans admit that the league has
disappointed their hopes and they are
quick to tell Americans that the rea-
son it has failed is because the United
States has refused to become a mem
ber. And the more I studied the
league question in Europe the nearer
! came to being willing to admit that
this is true. No one can doubt that
had not the quarrel between Presi
dent Wilson and the United States
Senate resulted in rejection of the
covenant the league today would be
a vastly different and a much more
potent thing than it is. This does not
necessarily mean that American mem
bership in the league would make it
an absolute insurance against war but
it would have helped At least it
would have leSSened the war fear in
mems minds, and, as war fear is one
of the most prolific causes of war, the
probability of war would have been
reduced by just that much.
When the American people decided
against membership in the League of
Nations they did exactly what every
nation in Europe is doing today and
has always done-they followed the
course which they believed to be to
their own best national interest.
Whether they We're right or wrong
in their belief that their interests were
best served by remaining outside the
league is aside from the question. 1t
is certain the American people will
never assent to membership in the
league until they are convinced that
membership will best serve the inter
ests of the United States. But l do
not believe that precludes the possi-
bility that some day the United States
will become a member of the league.
Obstacle TO Membership.
1, for one, believe that if the League
Of Nations can be made an instrument
tality for preserving the peace of the
a member-if and when such mem
bership can be had without jeopardiz-
ing the best interests of America. |
have been frequently reproached in
Europe because my country is not in
the league, but do not feel abashed.
1 know that the real reasons America
remained on the outside-the reasons
which underlay the differences be-
tween President Wilson and the
Senate-were not American but Euro
pean reasons. 1t was not that
America was unwilling to cooperate
for the betterment of the world it
was that selfish and short-sighted
naionalism in Europe had made
American cooperation for the time
impossible.
That same selfish and short-sighted
nationalism still prevails in Europe,
but there is one hopeful sign on the
horizon. The nations of Europe. six
years after the armistice, now are be-
ginning to see that it is not getting
them anywhere. Statesmen are be-
ginning to admit, privately and with
reluctance, that it would have been
better If more concessions had been
made-if more regard had been had
to the other fellows viewpoint. 1t is
true, as mentioned above, that some
of the mistakes of the peace have
been modified, but the spirit which
accompanied the modification has not
been spirit which made for good will
and better understandings. Modifica-
ton of the spirit is as needed as is
modification of treaties.
Way to U. S. Cooperation.
If the statesmen and people of
Europe would do considerable less
grouching about how America de
serted" Europe after the armistice
and would devote more attention to
the things which were responsible for
that "desertion," it might be found
possible to remove some, if not all, the
obstacles which served to prevent a
greater measure of American CO.
operation. 1t is not without the
range of possibility that there might
be such a removal of obstacles as
would make it possible for the United
States to become member of the
League Of Nations.
Had it not been for these obstacles,
the children of European nationalistic
selfishness, there would have been
larger measure of American CO.
operation in Europe during the last
six years. Larger American co-opera-
ton undoubtedly would have meant
larger progress toward liquidation of
the war-everybody in Europe will
tell you that. And there must be
further liquidation of the last war
before there can be any substantial
insurance against another war. So
the liquidation of the late war be-
comes, and ought to be made, the first
business of European statesmanship.
In next weeks article, which will
be the last of this series, am going
to discuss some of the remaining post
war problems which are pressing for
solution and how American interests
will be affected by the nature of the