Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-28
UNITED EUROPE"
IDEA GAINS GROUND
Project, Launched Three
Years Ago, Was Held
Impractical.
ny Radio 20 The Star.

BERLIN, July 27-Three years ago
next October young Austrian noble
man named Count Richard Couden-
hove-Kalersi summoned the first pam
European Congress to meet at Vienna.
AT that time the idea of forming tine
United States Of Europe" was generally
dismissed as an impractical Utopia ex-
listing only in the dreams of some Wis
ionary schcmers.
In short space of three years, how
ever, the idea Of q pan-Europea has al
ready taken firm hold on the imagi-
nations of vast numbers Of citizens in
avery country on th5 continent, and
With the announcement that the
French foreign minister, Aristide BRAND,
intends to bring forward a project for
meeting Of the League of National As
kcmbly at Geneva in September, 1t al
ready becomes practical politics.
Customs Union First Step.
Details OF the plan BRAND has in
mind are not yet divulged, but from
what has been given out in the Paris
press, it may be assumed that the
French foreign ministry proposes to
create first a customs union with re-
duction or abolition of tarif barriers
throughout the continent Of Europe, to
political ties. Judging by statements
made by DR.. Stresemann in his last
Reichstag speech on June "a, the
French foreign minister may count on
the support of his German colleague in
his ambitious undertaking
DR.. Stresemann rather puzzled public
opinion in this country by one passage
IN his Reichstag address, but certain
light has since been thrown upon it BY
the revelation Of Brands pan-Euru-
pean intentions. DR.. Stresemann from
the tribune Of the Reichstag said:
Il believe that the time will come
born out Of economic necessity, when
The French. German and perhaps other
European industries will have to seek
a common way against the competition
which hits them all hard. But you car
not expect that the Ruhr industrialists
will find this way gladly so long as the
Rhineland occupation continues.
know very many men of surprising IN
question precisely what I am saying
here"
Present Moment Is Favorable.
When the German foreign minister
uttered that extraordinary statement he
had just returned from Madrid and
Paris, in both of which cities he had
prolonged discussions with BRAND. In
many respects. the present moment Is
favorable for a discussion of the pan
European idea. First, the character OF
the French foreign minister commands
the confidence of Germany, possessed
by few, If any other, French statesmen.
AS far back as the Cannes conference
in 1921. BRAND was working for a rap
prochement with Germany after the
war. but at that reriod he was too far
NF1 Jyo Of flAa -
planted by the more -visioned
Poincare.
Four years later at Lake Maggiore,
BRAND elaborated with DR.. Strese-
mann and Chamberlain in bridging the
gap between the war foes through the
Locarno treaties. The next wear, at
Geneva, BRAND welcomed Germany
into the League Of Nations with a mag
nif1cent grafton, wherein he pleaded
that In the future Germany and Franco
should be rivals in the arts and SCIENCES
and not on the battlefield, where both
had already obtained all the glory and
proves they required.
Britain Now Ruled by Labor.
Great Britain at the present hour is
ruled by a Labor government headed
by pacifist prime minister. Germany,
too, Is led by socialist chancellor ana
the last five years worked unremittingly
for peace In Europe.
The United States also must be men
toned as factor in bringing the ma
tons Of the Old World closer together.
First Of all, our country Is a notable
example of what can be done when
free trade principles are applied to .
whole continent. 1t Is indeed a re-
markable paradox that the nation which
has the highest protective tariff is at
the same time the most convincing
Justification of the economic theories
OF Adam Smith and Richard Golden.
Meanwhile, the efforts of protection
lists in the United States raise the
tariff wall still higher, bringing the
nations of Europe closer together. Every
great country on this continent has
lodged protest with the State Depart
ment against the proposed new tariff
bill. Fearing that unless they stand
together they will be crushed by the
colossus Of American industry, business
leaders in Europe gradually are coming
together and the steel and potash car
tells may perhaps be regarded as pro-
tests of even greater European economic
combinations still to come.
The debt policy pursued by the United
States also has tendency to unite
Europeans, for victorious allies and the
defeated Germans find themselves in
the position today alike Of having to
pay money TO the United States. though
IN one case the money is called inter-
allied debts and in another reparatio1s.
CCopyriEht, 1921