Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-23
and Domestic Line-Ups
Complicate German Situation

finance are not as united as in Ger
many There is no one party. like
the Peoples in Germany. which repre-
SCENTS them; there is no one leader.
like Stresemann. who can speak for
them. On the contrary, rival groups
of tinanciers are quarrelinS. Yet it
is true that the Socialists in France
hold similarly decisive position. and
1t is their insistence upon terms anal
ogouS to those demanded by the Ger
man Socialists which explains the
present uproar in the French Chamber.
Problem OF BRAND
BRAND will succeed or fail precisely
as he is able in the end to unite the
more conservative members of the
radical parties with the less extreme
members of the Conservative parties.
Both Germany and France will have
TO find their way out of their present
difficulties by concentrations of groups
and the cooperation of men and lead
ers who hold very different and even
conflicting views upon foreign policy.
And the great incoherence lies pre-
cisely in the domestic differences which
divide those who hold together in ad-
vocacy of Conciliatory foreign policies.
The British situation is far differen Mt,
because both the Conservatives. who
are in power. and the Laborites, who
are out, agree well nigh absolutely
upon policies of Cancellation abroad.
Austen Chamberlain very calamity
paid tribute to the service of Ramsay
Macdonald in making Locarno pos
Sible, and the Labor members of the
House of Commons pretty nearly az
a unit supported the Locarno treaties.
Desire Peace Abroad.
A majority OF the people of Britain,
Fra nee and Germany desire peace
and readjustment abroad. but in
France and Germany there are strong
political groups which oppose all
proposed foreign agreements. In
much the same fashion ma jority
of the people of France and Germany
fear and oppose radical and socialist
domestic policies. but the trouble is
that ii is impossible to obtain In these
countries what exists in Great Britain,
namely. dominating ma jority which
satisfies the national will on both
foreign and domestic issues.
Beyond much doubt there will pres
emily be, both in Paris and Berlin,
cabinets which express the conserv.
alive will of the majorities as far
as domestic and economic policies are
concerned. But the German is much
more likely to come first. largely
because, as I have said, business and
finance in Germany are united and
are working together. through a
strongly organized political party.
Even in Great Britain. however
there Is an unmistakable division be.
tween Tories on domestic economic
questions. The coal subsidy. which
was granted by Baldwin to avoid a
coal strike, was and remains a subject
of great dispute within the Tory party.
The advantage on the British side lies
rather in the agreement of all hands
upon foreign policies than upon do.
nestle.
Italy has cut through all her similar
problems by sesortins to Dictatorship
which is thoroughly dominated by big
business and high finance. The gain
for conference and unity of action is
patent, but the latent and eventual
perils are so considerable that it is
almost utterly out Of the question that
France or Germany will resort to any
Fascist method. The experience of
France with two Napoleons Is a COM
paratively safe insurance against the
experiment with a French Mussolinf
1t is fair to say that of the four
great European powers. Britain,
France, Germany and Italy, which
nominally employ the parliamentary
overwhelmingly, of course, only in
the case of Italy-relatively satisfac-
tory results are only being obtained in
Britain, while Italy. in despair, has
discarded the system and relapsed to
dictatorship. And it is equally fair to
say that, while similar relapse is un-
likely in either France or Germany,
the parliamentary system has so far
lost rather than gained in popularity
or prestige.
Copyright. 1925,