Evening star., 1928-05-06
EUROPE SHOWS POSTWAR
GAINS UNEVENLY DIVIDED
Analysis of Conditions Points Out France
as Making Greatest Strides.
England Suffers Most.

and that this circumstance explains the
conciliatory foreign policy OF
the bolshevists today.
As 70 the question Of peace or var,
Europe is profoundly and universally
peaceful The exhaustion Of the var
makes any great adventure impossible
today. The memories Of the hardships
and miSeries remain vivid. No govern
ment would dare today TO ask its people
to fight, save in case Of invasion, which
is utterly unlikely The memory Of the
narrow escape from bolshevism, from
domestic upheaval and the patent dan
ger of q recurrence exercises a salutary
influence upon all elements in all coun-
tries
Might Have Accidental War.
1t is conceivable that Europe might
be faced with an accidental war. One
of the many unmistaEably serious diff
ferences between peoples might precipi-
tate struggle suddenly. This is un-
likely. and there IS every reason 70 BE-
ieye that in the face of such danger
all the great powers would instantly
and effectively combine 10 prevent the
conflict from continuing The recent
cooperation Of France, Germany and
Britain in the Polo-Lithuanian dispute
gives useful indications IN this direction.
When one comes TO the question Of
the organization Of peace, the creation
Of a machinery and method for elirni-
mating war. for making impossible con-
fiicts in a future when present exhaus-
ton is passed and the memory of the
late struggle extinguished. Europe Is
frankly pessimisiic. The failure Of the
League to make the smallest progress
in dealing with the problems OF dis
armament and security has resulted IN
an enormous decline in the prestige OF
the League itself.
All European powers are today stead
ily reverting 10 alliances Of the pre-war
and traditional character as the single
basis for security. and the League is
losing its hold upon the masses.
Resentment Toward United States.
Toward America Europe feels all the
resentment which results from our
prosperity and its relative poverty. But
all this resentment is tempered by the
keen appreciation that for a long time
to come Europe must rely upon Anleri-
can financial cooperation. and cannot,
as a consequence. afford to express its
feelings. either in words or in deeds.
Europe still hopes for a reduction, II
not a cancellation. Of the debts and to
f11IltElEdLl kgctA ldLA9AI III A41S
ton of the Dawes plan. This EquiGs-
ton. which is inevitable. can only take
place If the United States agrees 70
supply the market for the vast amount
Of German securities which must form
the basis Of liquidation.
Such American ventures IN the
field of International paci1cation as
the kellogg project 10 outlaw war
all Europe regards precisely in the
light it once looked upon Henry Ford's
celebrated peace ship The project to
outlaw var Is 10 the European minds
pure AmericauiSTn. with no real rela-
ton TO fact. But the United States
must be considered. and each European
form Of declaration.
There remains the domestic political
situation. But here the conditions are
confusing and without much real i'm
portance. The issues in the recent
French election and III the forthcoming
German. the Polish election of March.
are purely local There is no present
sign OF any sweeping change anywhere.
All governments, parties IN power and
public men suffer from an unpopulsrfty
based upon the fact that all European
governments are today tax collectors in
the most aggravated form. and none IS
ton
Europe Now Resigned.
BolSheviSn1 is dead west Of the Rus
sian frontier. Europe Is apathstie. II
Is resigned 70 existing conditions And
the masses no longer see IN Moscow any
serious promise OF the millennium.
To a rather astonishing degree Euro
pean attention IS fixed upon the ap-
preaching American presidential elec-
ton. and there IS a general CONVICTION
that Hoover viii be elected. No other
figure commands 80 much attention.
The interest in the election Is pre6lcaeed
upon the enduring belief II Europe that
a change II Presidents Viii mean
change in American policy toward
Europe
In Britain the AnSlo- American naval
controversy has bsen quietly dismissed,
but il would be : mistake 70 believe that
IL has been forgotten. Those who con-
troll British policy 81 the moment are
not prepared 10 accept the principle OF
American equality on the high seas
British policy is now Ccnprehen6ed IN
The famous ASQui.h phrase cI Wait
and sec
During the war The allies accepted
the fourteen points because they needed
American aid. out the Treaty Of Yer
SallisS followed. AT the Washington
conference the British accepted the
principle Of parity because The alteTDs-
tive was American supremacy, but the
Geneva conference followed Tc0sy
Europe needs American financial assist
ance therefore, tGs kellNSg PIT isctS
have obtained European consideration.
6Ut the ultimate disposition Is sure 20
be the same That : the short and
ugly of It,
fCcryFtSAg t@..SN