Evening star., 1928-03-18
BY FRANK II. SIMONDS.

BY FRANK II. SIMOEDS.
~ 3RLIN.-What are the prospects
- OF peace and of war in the Eu-
rope Of the moment? No queS-
- tion must occupy more OF the
attention OF any observer seek
| ing to establish the existing condi-
! tions in Europe. No subject can be
| more interesting and more puzZling for
| the American, for whom European dis
| patches, even in the most recent
, months. have been filled with the re-
| ports OF storms alike on the Baltic and
| the Mediterranean, with the announce
ments Of disputes between Poland and
Lithuania, Jugoslavia and Italy.
| Seeking an answer TO this question, l
have in the past six months Travelled
from the Pyrenees to the Baltic and
| from London to Danzig. and in the
present article l shall try to set down
| the impressions resulting from discus
SionS with the statesmen, the diplomats
| and the journalists of many countries
| Beyond all else, however, these impress
| sions have been derived in three capi-
! tals-London. Paris and Berlin.
| The sum total Of all these impress
| sions makes for optimism. At no time
since the war have ] found quite as
| great unanimity In the popular feel
ing and the public policies Of the three
countries. still recently divided by the
| struggle of the World War. I do not
think it Is possible TO eXaggerate the ex-
tent to which the passions and the fears
born OF the war and pre-war periods
have died down.
Masses Thinking Alike.
/ can discover today no serious di-
vergence in the opinions or in the state
of mind between the masses of the peo.
Piles Of France. Germany and Great
Britain. In fact. while appeasement
and conciliation march slowly /. surely
between the peoples. the extent Of mu-
| tual confidence and cooperation be.
tween Stresemann. BRAND and Cham.
berlain has no parallel In European his
| tory. at least since the Franco-Prussiar
war.
! In reality. Europe is today regulated
by a concert of Europe, which include!
| France. Germany and Great Britain
No more striking example of this fac
could be supplied than the experience
! at Geneva several months ago. wher
Stresemann joined hands with Brianc
| and Chamberlain to end the state oi
! war existing between Lithuania anc
Poland. provoked by the Polish seizure
and continued possession of the city
! ana QlStTiCL OF NlIDa.
| In this dispute 1t was an obvious
| temptation to the German foreign min
| lister to play the game OF Lithuania
against Poland. Nor was there les,
/ shining opportunity offered for a sim
| liar policy of playing one nation
| against another when affairs between
France and Italy reached something
| like real crisis last year.
| Cancellation Gains Ground.
Such a policy was urged by the Ma
! tionalists. advocated publicly in the
still recent debate upon foreign policy
| temptuous criticism by the bulk ol
! the German press. Steadily and de.
cisively. the men and the parties ad-
vocating conciliation and cooperation
have gained ground.
II one examines the domestic polit-
| ical conditions OF Great Britain. the
same fundamental circumstances are
discoverable The Tory cabinet in
Britain has not only SQuarely adopted
| the policy of conciliation. begun with
shining success by its Labor predeceS-
sor. but there is today between the
! three great parties in England no
divergence OF opinion as to foreign
policy. In so far as II affects European
readjuStment. Such criticism as Is
directed at Chamberlain by MacDon-
aid and Lloyd George Is not based on
the direction Of Tory policy, but only
at the rate OF Its progress in the
direction all desire to travel.
In France coalition government,
with the redoubtahle Poincare at its
head. still follows the conciliatory poll
cieS OF BRAND who himself remains
the foreign minister. with an authority
which permits OF no decisive inter-
ference. Again no one even imaslnes
that BRAND will at the forthcoming
election be replaced while the general
belief Is that such change as takes
place in the composition OF Parliament
will be a change in the direction OF
greater cooperation with Germany.
Stresemann's Prestige High.
As for Germany. since Bismarck no
foreign minister has possessed even a
fraction OF the popular support or the
political prestige OF DR.. StreSemann,
and StreSemann Is the consistent cham
pton OF the policy of reconciliation
With France and cooperation With the
Western powers. When. In the RaicllS-
tag the other day. his Nationalist op-
ponents attempted TO criticiSe StreSe-
manu. their feeble attempts were
greeted with deriSory laughter And.
despite the fact that Germany too.
Is on the verge of q general election.
nothing Is more certain than that
post and his policies will suffer no
change.
Between the three great Western
powers the success Of Locarno Is no
longer to be questioned In all three
there is in domestic politics the same
unmistaka6le drift toward the liberal
and even radical parties. The stand
patterS.' those who cling 10 the old
conceptions of foreign relations. are
In full retreat. And between the lib-
eral parties of the thres countries. and
particularly between the leaders, there
Is surprising degree OF direct COM
municAtion,
So far. then. the European sky il
bright. brighter than have seen il
IN 20 years, For II is Srlf-evident that
II relations between Paris. London aud
Berlin are close and confident. the
possibility Of q general European com
flagration Is Insignificant and the prob
ability that France, Britain and Ger
many In close cooperation viii be able
To prevent smaller disturbance Is
very great,
Some difficulties Remaln.
In the case III Germany. however,
there are two very distinct limitations
which one must today put upon the
German readiness II cooperate, The
conditions ot permanent association
with France and Britain are tWoiold.
In the ttrSt place 0ermanyS share
In Nle dement's Of Locarno demand the
prompt evacuation ot the remaining
territory occupied by the allies. the
liquidation of the Dawes plan. ana. IN
general, the termination ot every itmi-
tation placed temporarily upon Ger
many BY the treaties Of peace.
hv the terms ot the contract Of l.o-
carno the Germans now demand the
Ala,i.