Evening star., 1925-06-14

lnOSe states, which, maintained I'm
their present condition, would be able
to meet successfully any German at
tack.
Small States Satisfied.
You must see, too, that the French
policy is not merely French: it is Just
as definitely Czech, Polish, Rumanian
and Serb. The protocol which was
adopted at Geneva last summer and
rejected by the British last March
was the final expression of this will
TO 1--we as they are of half a dozen
of the smaller states, and this will is
quite as clearly discoverable in the
sentiments of the Swiss, the Dutch,
the Scandinavian peoples, who fortu-
nately for themselves, do not feel under
any menace and therefore under any
necessity TO combine for defense.
The single guarantee of peace in
Europe, say the French, is that
Germany shall agree to accept as
final all her frontiers. to give guaran-
tees on all sides. 1t is not enough
that Germany guarantee French and
Belgian frontiers under British i'm
pulsion if she thus reserves the right
to modify Polish. for eastern changes
cannot be brought about without war,
and war in the east of Europe cannot
be prevented from spreading west
L
peace and half at war, as the Serajevo
episode demonstrated. To crush
Poland, Germany would have TO as
semble strength far in excess of the
treaty regulations, and, that military
strength once assembled, French Sc
curity would disappear automatically.
AS for the German pledge not to seek
change by force, that strikes the
French as idle, because they we'll
In hot rIn ho tn
Warsaw can testify to, that every
man, woman and child in Poland
would fight rather than consent to a
new partition.
IS Thus by one of the supreme ironies
of history France today asks of Ger
many what Germany for forty years
asked of France unSuccessfully.
namely, the acceptance of an unfavor-
able state of facts created by a lost
war, which in reality meant the
formal remuneration of all claim upon
Alsace-L Lorraine. Moreover, as | have
said, precisely as Germany inevitably
moved to alliance with another nation
interested vitally in the preservation
of existing conditions, France has
assumed the same relation with
several states in similar posture.
British Proposal.
Now in all this situation the Briton
steps forward with his proposal which
\ is naturally q compromise. lie pro
poses in reality that France shall
accept for herself and for Belgium
! German guarantee of integrity and
security. a guarantee To be written
/ by Germany and underwriten bN
/ Britain. and having accepted this,
that she shall disinterest herself In
the security and integrity of Poland.
| of Czechoslovakia; that she shall
cease to be the chief suarantor OF
things as they are and the ally OF all
likeminded nations which feel them
selves in danger
The Englishman reasons this way;
| He Is bound to defend France against
Germany in case of a new war De-
cause he cannot under any circum-
stances permit German armies to
establish themselves on the channel
coast. His security and that of Frnace
are thus united, but he feels certain
! first that his guarantee to france
would insure France security as well
/ as his own. while French guarantee
! of Polish and Czech integrity would
ultimately insure new Franco
| German war. since he is satisfied
Germany will never permanently ac-
| cept her present condition.
To separate France and Germany,
| that is the British objective, because
| if the two nations come to grips again.
Britain will surely be involved once
more. But to separate the two
nations it is just essential To
abolish French guard on the lower
Vistula and the Upper Elbe as on the
| Middle Rhine. All of which is L
perfectly human conception, but it
encounters the French objection.
How do you know Germany Will
always accept the western frontiers
as they exist, and just how much
support can you give me In emer-
gency If the strong Polish and CZech
armies disappear and these states are
obliterated or brought To German
| heel?"
France Needs Poland.
The Frenchman's eyes are fixed
upon the half million Polish and Czech
troops ready to move the moment
France is menaced by Germany,
half million troops in addition to the
British, for he knows perfectly we'll
| manv defeat him, knows that the
by now that Britain cannot let Ger
Briton knows that Germany VIC
torious over France would be more
deadly menace than in all the period
of the last war.
It is perfectly true that the French
| man sees the dangers incident to
| =
the Elbe 1t is equally true that II
Britain should offer tomorrow to keep
| a standing army equal in size to the
| Polish and Czech, ready to move to
| French defense, France would be
| ready to drop her eastern connections.
But the absolute fact is that France
does not now regard any German
pledge for her own security, backed
by such eXigeous forces as Britain
is willing to keep under arms, a.
lsufficient substitute for the aid which
Is available from Poland and Czecho-
slovakia on the day of necessity.
The Frenchman, says: There is only
one road to peace, and that is the
equal pledge of all nations to keep
the peace, to keep it in the east as
we'll as the west. Once Germany
offers in good faith to accept her pres
ent frontiers, lay aside all designs
and policies which are subversive of
the existing situation, then We shall
have a real promise of peace for an
indefinite period of time"
To all of which the Briton replies:
What YOU ask is impossible. Ger
many will not accept all Of her from
tiers, but she will accept yours, which
is what you and 1 are interested in.
and I will agree to help you defend
yours If, at any time Germany should
change her mind and attack again.
You will never get the complete Ger
man acceptance all around the circle,
but you can get all that you ought
to care about for the asking now"
No Ideals Involved.
I wish / could make it clear there
are no morals or ideals or militarsm
or imperialism involved in all of this.
There Is nothing but simple trans
action Britain feels that her own