Evening star., 1925-11-22

Continued from First Pagel
timately to Locarno We're still only
beginning.
It may we'll be that harm and not
good would result from too great er-
forts to crowd the operations The
most hopeful single element in the eX-
listing situation, as well as the thing
which most contrasts with the recent
unhappy past, is that things are now
being done voluntarily. There never
was any chance of getting the French
troops out of the Rhineland by the re-
sort to the ridiculous propaganda cam
paign of the black horror" Yet just
as patiently all arguments for cuntin-
ued occupation fall TO the ground when
their presence, SO far from inCrea sing
security, threatens peace
VIII End Perilous Era.
The day when the last soldier uf
an occupying unit III the Rhineland
crosses the frontier will be notable in
Europe, because ii will mark the end
of period of very great peril. the
peaceful end. 1t will remove from
the German mind that apprehension
which more than all else has prevent
ed adjustment in the earlier periods
after the war, the conviction that the
French meant to stay on the Rhine,
to restore the frontiers of Caesar and
Napoleon. Not until the evacuation
of the Ruhr did the German begin TO
conceive that his worst fears might
prove unfounded. His optimism again
vanished when the Cologne zone eyac-
uation was postponed. When ii does
take place he Will have hope again.
1t is wholly irrational to argue that
because the treaty of Versailles au-
thOrizp6 OprI11a ion for be
occupation should continue to the end
of the period. In reality occupation
was permitted for that period because
of the fear that a less time would not
permit the organization of security
and the belief that France required
this breathing spell in which to re-
cover. But so far as security is at
tainable on this planet, the French
have it now for a considerable period
of time, totally irrespective of the
army of occupation.
The occupation is now no more
than a possible negotiating point. 1t
has a nuisance value; it may be sold
outright in return for material and
commercial adjustments. In reality it
is no longer an acute political queS
ton. Yet as long as it continues it
is an element of strength on the
side of the unreconciled and irrecon
cilable elements in Germany. 1t is a
friction point And it is an anomaly,
for the security of France rests no
longer upon the occupation of the
Rhine barrier, but upon the word of
Britain.
Costs France Dearly.
Moreover, for both technical and
financial reasons the maintenance of
forces of occupation in the German
Rhineland is increasingly disadvanta-
geous to the French. On the techni-
cal side the French have already re-
duced their period of military service
from three years to one and a haif
and are about to cut ii down TO one
year. But this means a relatively
enormous reduction in effectiveS. two
thirds reduction in the strength of the
home army, which falls automatically
to 255 900. To keep 10000 troops On
a war basis in Germany is to destroy
cohesion and make training almost
impossible. Again, the costs of such
maintenance in Germany are high,
and have to be deducted from the
French share of reparations. Finally,
to fight wars in Morocco and Syria,
maintain an effective army in France
and garrison the Rhine represent col
lectively an effort beyond French re-
sources or French Willingness.
IIocarno, then, in my mind, means
in addition to the speedy evacuation of
the Cologne zone the relatively rapid
withdrawal of the ancient allies from
all of German territory, the Sarre
Basin included. 1t is natural and
necessary corollary of Locarno, it is
one more long step in liquidation, for
which the time is almost, If not quites