Evening star., 1925-10-09

the border lands of Alsa ce- Lorraine
and of Eupen- -Malmedy. taken by Bel
GUM. She will even consent TO enter
The League Of Nations. but only with
actual or tacit assertion of the condl-
ton that she will not herself unde!-
take TO Join the member nations in
fny war with Russia nor consent thai
f'rance shall cross her territory 10 -
10 the aid OF Poland in case of =
Eusso-Polish war. Germany has a.
Featy with Russia. just aS France
las an alliance with Poland and Ger-
bany seeks TO preserve this agree
bent.
| France goes to the conference VITA
10 large estimate Of the value Of the
Ferman promise, but tor her the price
II British guarantee of the eXiStir-
frontier between France and Ger
hany is some form OF mutual guar
lntee between France and Germany.
It is a British guarantee, not a Ger
han promise, that France holds es-
}ential to her own security. but the
Engular fashion in which this is to I've
obtained is by ma king a security pact
fifth Germany. The French and Bel
Eans are not greatly impressed hy
lew German pledges, but they do bo-
leve that the German pledges assume
\ totally new value If they are a.
tompanied by British promise 10 DE-
iend existing boundaries.
u Apart from this question Of the
british guarantee, the sole French
ibncern is that nothing shall be done
ID weaken the alliance between
! rance and Poland and France and
! keChosloVakia. agreements which
hve for the French a Very real value
II terms Of their own security.
rance would like to see Germany un-
trtake obligations and Britain
lodges to maintain all OF the from
ErS of Germany as they stand This
| impossible, but. on the other side.
be French are determined that moth
tg shall be done TO weaken the pres
pit territorial status of her allies.
IL = :;
| Britain wants to bring about a truce
tetWeen France and Germany and at
he same time to escape the necessity
" making any alliance with France
Fhich might seem to he directed
igainst Germany. In Il word the Brit
Fh wish to avoid returning TO tho
l91i situation of rival alliances. 1t 4,
conceded by the British that if Ger.
1any again attacked France or in.
Faded Belgium, they would have ta
70 to the aid of both, as in 1914 But
Ihey have no desire to support France
against Germany generally, and thew.
feel determination not to be dragged
into any guarantee of eastern irons
tierS. Thus they offer Germany II
guarantee against any French cEal-t
lenge to the existing Western frontier,
rs they offer France a guarantee
igainst Germany.
If Germany rejects this opportunity
p real Franco British agreement is
n ,ts.l,
purity is now permanently locked up
With the question of peace on the
Rhine. But if she accepts it the dam
FER or hostile alliance disappears.
britain also seeks to prevent a Russo
German combination, which might
fasily come about if the old Franco
British entente reappeared. Britain
WISHES to isolate Russia, bring Ger
many back into association with the
western nations and insure a long
truce between France and Germany.
No agreement made at Locarno will
insure permanent peace in Europe, be-
cause any agreement there made win
be based on present. not eventual. in
.erests of the nations engaged. But
any agreement that may be made will
almost certainly serve as the neces-
Sary prelude to a long truce, to a con-
siderable number of years of tran
utility, during which the real obsta-
lies to adjustment can be removed.
ANY success, too, means the return
Dt Germany as great nd independ-
ent power. 1t will, as / haNe said.
mark the liquidation of the political
phase of postwar circumstance. and
IN that sense prove the most sig
lificant event since the peace con-
'erence itself, save perhaps the maxi
ng OF the Dawes plan, which had
equal and similar meaning.
lCopJTiSht.1 1026A