Evening star., 1925-12-13
Continued from First Page.)

L.atvia and Lithuania. Tomorrow, if
The Poles wish, they can take East
Prussia. 1t is at their mercy. This
situation cannot last, no German gov
ernment, however pacific, can live
with its own people if this condi.
tion continues. What are you going
TO do about it?'
Moreover, Germany will not speak
clone. all the scandinavian states.
Holland, Bulgaria, Hungary, not inn
probably Italy, Will join in. 1t is no
longer a question between France and
Germany, between France, Britain
and Germany. Locarno has cleared
nway many obstacles. The British
fleet remains in being and the British
army joined to the French will on
any conceivable basis assure the eX-
listing western frontiers for n long
time at least. The question is whether
Germany will rearm because of the
present strength of the armies of her
eastern neighbors, notably Poland an6
Czechoslovakia, or whether some
means can be found to bring down
their establishments. But again, no
means can be found until the Russian
danger is exercised for them.
Arbitration Complete.
Europe has recognized, Geneva has
asserted, time and again, that the
program of settlement was, first, ar.
hltration, then security, then disarma-
ment- In the west arbitration is com
plete. it even extends to central and
eastern Europe, exclusive of Russia
But as long as Russia remains out
side, the real adjustment of the ques-
ton of disarmament remains impos-
sihle. 1t is impossible because the
nations adjoining Russia will not dis
prm while Russia constitutes a men
ace to them, nor in reality do the
western nations, Britain and France in
particular. desire such disarmament
the British because ii might release
Russian armies for operations in the
Near and lar East, the French be-
cause it might doom tho allied gates
of Poland and CZechoslovakia.
In truth, then, while Locarno has
adjusted many political questions and
might easily clear the way for agree
ment between France. Germany and
Britain upon armament questions so
far as all three are concerned, there
remain political questions of very
grave Importance which have to be
cleared up before anything can be
accomplished toward general dis
armament in Europe. Yet, even after
Locarno, the total difference in the
character of problems between the two
colonial countries and Germany makes
IN actual ARRANGEMENT as to military
strength difficult.
Other Armies Scattered.
If Germany asks equality in mill
tdry strength with France or even
with Britain. she can only get it by
increasing her European and German
soldiers enormously and they will re.
main concentrated in Europe. whereas s
the colonial armies of France and
p,-it L.
scattered from Hongkong to Casa
blanca and from Algiers to Cape
Town
Americans think of disarmament or
limitation OF ornaments as at once
an absolute and a simple question. It
seems "a ~ for Europe TO decide to
cut off fPtIniredS OF thouSa nds Of
troops, because We have always found
it an easy thing TO do when our wars
were over. But with the end of our
wars there has disappeared all the
reason for strong armies. What we
perceive only dimiy is that the end of
war in Europe. so far from abolish
ing all dangers, making armies neces-
sary, generally only eliminates one
set of dangers to raise another and
that disarmament is not the whole or
the main question, but that political
adjustment must precede and is the
chief obstacle.
As it stands. while a certain small
measure OF retftaetiol. --uf ar1itarnelts
is possible, is even taking place. as
eXampled by the French reduction
which takes at least 100 900 French
men away from the colors, no real
progress can be made until Russia
comes into the agreement. because the
absence OF Russia explains two con-
siderable armies, the Polish and the
Rumanian, and these armies have
western as well as eastern significance.
affect Germany and Hungary as we'll
as Russia.
Colonial Forces to Grow.
So far from reducing their colonial
armies, France and Britain are both
almost sure to increase them in the
next decade. by reason of the dangers
which threaten both, the French
chiefly in Africa, the British mainly