Evening star., 1925-06-21
FOUR-POWER PACT HAS
HARD ROAD TO TRAVEL
Opposition on All Sides While Plan Is
Still in Nebulous State Makes
Adoption Doubtful.

not a 1our-p0Wer but SlX-poWer
pact, including vCzechoslovakia and
Poland. Also, they have dema nded
some form of guarantee that Austria
should not be annexed by Germany,
whether Austrisns desire il or not.
The Germs n. on the other hand, has
felt that II he resigned all claim to
lisa ce Lorraine and to Eupen and
Malmedy. if he agreed to accept the
western frontiers made against him at
Paris, such remuneration could only
be justified on his part by the re-
moval of barriers in his pathway in
the east and south. He has been
ready to a gree not to attack his
neighbors. but at the same time he
has dema nded the right to open the
question of eastern frontiers by dip
lomatic methods, by some rather
vague application of a loose phrase in
the covenant Of the league.
The Englishman on his part is quite
ready to permit Germany TO reopen
all questions which do not affect
British security and totally unwilling
to stand committed directly or indi-
rectly 10 maintain Polish or CZecho
boundaries. But he has 10 deal with
the Frenchman, who has made deh-
mite contracts with Poland and with
Czechosfovakia and all his hope of
an arrangement on the Rhine and
the Meuse goes for nothing If there re
mains the prospect Of FrancO-German
collision on the Eistula or the Upper
Elbe.
France in Awkward Fix.
Meantime, the F'renchman finds
himself in an awkward position be-
cause both his Czecho and Polish
allies are coming down on him and
demanding that they shall not he
a ba ndoned-a nd they represent the
CT ncyth nf holt
two million trained troops on Mobil-
ization day-whereas the British
army is weaker rather than stronger
than ii was II years ago and there
is-no Russia TO come 10 the scratch If
Germany should choose to regard the
new four-power pact as she did the
old guarantee of Belgium neutrality.
To judge by what has been so far
permitted to he printed by the British
and French governments. the French
phase of the trouble has been avoided
by some ingenius, not to say Jesuit
icai, manipulation of the covenant of
the league. Under the covenant il
was provided that all member nations
should be in duty bound to aid any
unhappy enough to be menaced by
an unprovoked attack. Now Ger
many is to be admitted and she will
be bound not to attack any member
nation. she take new pledge. as ii
were, to respect her neighbors vine
va rds.
But if this commitment We're really
adequate, why should France and
! Belgium he insistent upon a four
power pact and why should Brita in.
which like. the United States. has
holy horror of all pacts. recognize the
Justice of the demand and the neces-
1 sjty to do something else in the mat
ter-ef guaranteeing western security?
! 4gHirs- there IS dti3e suggestion that II
/ the Lea gtfee of Nations should decide
| Germany has waptonly attacked Po-
| land, then France will he free 10
march into the IRhineland. notwith-
| standing The fact that il has been
permanently neutralized and its neu-
traiity established under the four
power pact, and guaranteed by the
British :?
Germany Wants Security.
Then there is always Germa ny.
How will she take the bestowal of
permission upon France to invade
her territory for any reason what
soever? The only value fer Germany
of pact is that 1t gives her security
against French aggression, which she
fears. puts an end to any possibility
of permanent French occupation of
Mayence, Conblense or. for that mat
l may venture an opinion based upon
my own German inveStiga tions. l do
not for moment believe the Ger
mans will accept any sort of pact
which does not free their territory
and give Them insurance against what
they-mistakenly. in my judgment.
but versally-regard as a standing
menace of French ambition?
The chief difficulty in the guaran-
| tee pact question lies in the fact that
ii suggests in all its details the en-
trancing game which the older gen
Grafton may still remember, the game
which reioiced in the name of Pigs
in the Clover and consisted in ma nip
ulating a number of little round shot
| so that they all would roll into the
center, the obvious difficulty being
that the motion employed to entrap
one usually set all the others rolling
| in a centrifugal fashion.
| The Geneva agreement between Bri-
and and Chamberlain would seem 10
| suggest that agreement has been
reached between France and Britain
| by a series of compromises designed
on the one hand to satisfy French
obligations to her allies and on the
other give proper attention to the
British determination not to be re-
sponsible either for Polish and Czecho
| frontiers or for Franco German quar-
rels growing out Of them. NJ. BRAND
and Mr. Chamberlain have found a
| formula, apparently. which will al
! low France to protect her allies. but
only under conditions carefully set
down and all to be put definitely un-
der the control of the League of Ma
tons