Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-01


ferenceS held under present circum-
stances the. real objective would be the
preservation of existing advantages or
the elimination of contemporary OBJ
stacles so far as the various great and
small powers of the continent were
concerned. And in fact it would de-
generate into a battle between the
combination roughly expressed by the
formula Rome Berlin Moscow, and the
ALLIANCE including Paris Warsaw-Prsgue-
Belgrade Bucharest.
There would, of course, be a fourth
group, made up of Britain and the
neutrals of the World War. the Scandi-
navian countries, Holland and Switzer-
land. which would seek actual Iimita-
ton without any special political ma
tional interest But this group would
find itself faced by the choice between
adopting the program of one group or
the other and thus becoming q belliger-
ent in the contemporary battle for
peace.
what Stimson Met.
On a much larger scale, then, the
present situation Is precisely that which
confronted the Five Power Naval Con-
ference last Winter. Secretary Slim
son, when he set out for Britain, con-
fidently expected to find the repre-
sentatiyes Of four powers equally EARN
estly seeking the limitation of mari
time ornaments. What he actually
met we're French and Italian states
men ready to transfer to a naval con-
ference their nations private quarrel,
which had been going on for a long
time. They were concerned not with
disarmament as such, but with rivalrtes
Of purely nationalistic order.
The result was that the Five Power
Conference promptly came to q dead
lock and after interminable delays the
Latin powers finally declined to Join In
ment in Germany has opened new
area of continental anxiety. while the
attitude Of Russia Is such as to give no
announcement to Poland or Rumania
to disband their forces watching the
frontiers of the Pripet and the Dntester.
In such a state Of affairs 1t Is clear
that the United States is condemned In
advance to attend party in which
each of the three groups viii ask sup-
port, but only the smallest and least
influential. that headed by the British,
viii be concerned with actual disarma-
ment.
French Role Outlined.
The French group, to be sure, would
join the United States in urging that
the United States subscribe to a con-
sultative pact, which would insure our
presence in any crisis and thus our
moral support against any aggressor.
On such conditions, vaguely described
as putting teeth in the Kellogg Pact"
France and her allies might agree to
certain limited reductions in armed
strength. But Just as certainly the
Germans and the Italians Welcome our
proposed participation as q promise Of
our aid in breaking down the French
supremacy.
A clue to the whole situation is sup
piled by a recent episode. It had gem
orally been understood that Benes, for
eign minister of CzechoSlovakia, would
preside at the conference. He Is in point
of service one Of the Oldest and most
experienced Of League statesmen, and
the request that he serve was particu-
larry pressed by Henderson of Britain.
But Czechoslovakia is an ally of France,
hence there was immediate Italian, Ger
man and Russian protect and the sud-
den launching of boom for Gen.
Dawes. And already the anti-French
group count as their first victory the
probability that Benes has been eltn1i-
mated.
There is familiar American concep-
ton that an international conference Is
bound TO end in progress If only the
representatives of nations in disagree
ment can be persuaded to put their legs
under the same mahogany. Mr.. Stinson
carried this notion to London. But
when the experiment was tried there,
the table was promptly upset by the
vigorous kicking match INDUCED In by
Tardieu and Grandi under the table. In
view of the London experience, the
promise for Geneva is not over brilliant.
Chances Of Success.
Though there Is no present danger Of
war in Europe, nationalism Is in the
saddle everywhere, and no government
could conceivably consent to conditions
which must be the minimum of any
limitation. Germany will not resign
her purpose to obtain q revision Of the
peace treaties, France and her allies viii
not modify their intention to defend the
status quo, the Italy of Mussolini is out
for a redivision of the raw materials
and colonial estates Of European powers.
Soviet Russia Is out for world revolu-
ton.
Moreover, the economic crisis, so far
from moderattng nationalism, has ac-
centuated It, The statesmen Of corn-
tries which are worst hit by depression,
notably Germany and Italy, are DELHI
erately seeking to turn the attention Of
their peoples from economic to political
questions, because 1t is only on matters
Of foreign policy that peoples can agree;
and the alternative is the universal
struggle between capital and labor as
to which Is to bear the burden Of in
taxation.
The countries like England, which
are permitted by the state of their own
to support a simple and
straightforward program of limitation,
welcome our coming because they see
no hope of any progress at all without
Dur presence. And they believe that in
some fashion we can be persuaded to
use our prestige and power to coerce
the recalcitrant. For, despite all the
depression in America, Europe sti1 be-
lieves in the old legend Of the rich and
irresistible Uncle Sam.
Pin Hopes to U. 3.
If we are unwilling to come and play
; grand role, British and League repre-
Sentatives are frankly in despair for
he conference. They see that since
the death of Stresemann, the disap-
oearance of Austen Chamberlain and
The decline of BRAND, the old spirit of
Locarno has gone and the League Is
becoming a battle-ground of rival ma
,ional policies with the question of dis
hopeleSsly entangled with
he purposes of conflicting nationalisms.
1t follows, then, that from now until
next February, unless at the last mo-
nent postponement is agreed upon, the
pressure upon washington 10 take a
nigh hand and occupy the star role viii
grow steadily. It would be q mistake
10 see in this pressure merely selfish
iesign and no sincere desire for real
progress. Both are present Moreover,
Tor at least a majority of the states
men the nominal purpose of the con-
ference namely to arrive at limitation
Ind reduction of ornaments, must, I'M
L..
European conditions, be slibordinated
n national interests and arrirafinY,s