Evening star., 1925-03-01
British See No Cause for Fear
In present Conditions In Europe

for speculation. Mussolini, on the whole,
has very bad press in England, and
has never been regarded as favorahly..
as in America But. to use an old phrase,
any Italian disturbance seems in London
to be sure to be localized" and there
fore not of present Importance so far as
the general European problem is con-
cerned it renders Italy perhaps negligi-
BILE, but not in any sense a menace.
In sum, all British preoccupation is
over the Franco-German situation and
the eventual Russian problem. Appre-
hension as to Germany is limited to the
fear that some Nationalist explosion will
at one moment sweep the German situa-s
tion and upset the present peaceful
French regime and temper. For junker
restoration would infallibly close the
likelihood of French retirement from the
Rhine, put Poincare and Millerand in
control in France and lead. not to
French evacuation, but perhaps to
French advance, to prevent which Brit
ain would be powerless, even assuming
that she were minded to intervene. But,
/ should not exaggerate the apprehen-
sion. Such German event is not gem
orally feared or even largely dis
cussed. 1t is, if / may say it, rather
the one large element of present un-r
certainty, the single fact which meas
urably tends to provoke discount of
an otherwise favorable outlook in
Europe.
Look to Dominions.
One word more as to British con-
ceptions. Underlying all else in Brit
ish desire to promote tranquility in
Europe is the double desire and neces-
sity to restore economic prosperity
within Britain and to leave British
hands clear for the consolidation of
the vast imperial structure which is
the British empire. BY comparison
with this latter consideration, Europe
is, after all, a minor, If annoying, de-
tail. 1t is not to Europe but to the
dominions that the British are look
ing for the future; they are acutely
conscious of the fact that proximity
to Europe compels them to be in
terested in European affairs, but that
commitments within Europe and ex-
hausting responsibilities may have.
an evil effect imperially; that the real
consolidation of their vast empire de-
pendS in no small degree upon their
ability to live peacefully in Europe
and to escape new calls upon the
blood and treasure of their dominions
in continental Europe.
And the sum total of all British
policy now is to persuade France and
Germany to accept as final the west-s
sailles, to get France to accept
British guarantee of western security
in return for a prompt evacuation of
the Ruhr and the Rhineland. with
the Sarre, at the same time resign
ing her role as guarantor of the
present status quo in the east; to
persuade Germany to resign claims to
Alsace-Lorraine and purposes of a
war of revenge in return for present
evacuation of the Rhineland and
eventual revision of the treaties af-
fecting her eastern frontiers.
Add to this the British desire to
prevent the adoption by the league
of the protocol in its present form,
which would prevent revision of the
eastern treaties both as they affect
Germany and Russia and thus trans
form it into an alliance of the old
allied and succession states, insuring
counteralliance of Germany, Rus
sia and Hungary, and instead to pro-
vide machinery fo- ultimate peaceful
revision of these treaties in the
direction the British regard as in
evitable, and / think you have a fair
picture of the British view at the
present hour.
Copyright, 1881