Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-12

hegenony In Europe will be ended.
For this reason France feels COM
PEELED to prevent any action which |
might be interpreted by her allies as:
France has taken definite stand
against the Austro-German union.
She informed her allies confidentially |
that she will not tolerate that this
union should become an accomplished
fact. The matter was referred to the |
Hague tribunal and IS awaiting the |
decision Of that international court. |
Had the Hoover plan not interviewed
at the present moment. France might |
have been able to accept with grace |
her defeat assuming that the Hague |
Court should decide in Germanys |
favor. But now, since in the eyes |
of Europe she appears to have yielded |
to America, it Is a matter OF great |
importance for her prestige to have |
the plan for an Austro-German union |
abandoned.
Before the Hague Court renders its
decision. the French diplomats will do |
their utmost to obtain from the Ger |
man chancellor and his foreign secre-
tary a promise that the tariff union |
will at least be indefinitely postponed, |
If not abandoned. It will be hard to |
obtain this from Herr Bruening, but |
there is no question that he will have |
to show a great deal Of strength OF |
character to resist the assaults of the |
French cabinet when he meets them
in Paris at the end Of the month. To |
accept the Austro-German union means |
to the French to show weakness. They |
are in the position Of the lion tanner |
In the cage The moment the animals, |
If they are young and wild, see the |
slightest sign of weakening he is lost. |
and it is up to the attendants outside
the cage to save him. 1t is doubtful
whether France wants to be put in
that position.
Matter Of Minor Import.
The matter of France asking Ger
many to abandon her activities in
favor of the revision of the Versailles
treaty, and especially her dream of re-
covering the Danzig corridor, is Of a
minor importance today. Germany can
give officially all the assurances France
wants on that subject, but she cannot |
repress national and public sentiment
any more than France could prevent
her own citizens before the war from
agitating in favor of the recovery of
AlSa Lorraine. In a case like this
official assurances are worth nothing.
The question of the conversations re-
garding the coming disarmament con-
ference is, Of course, Of the highest i'm
portance, for us more, probably, than
for the French.
The Germans are on solid ground
when they demand that the French
should bring down substantially their
present armed strength. The Germans
claim that it is disgrace for the
European powers that IL years after
the war, when Germany has fulfilled
all her obligations regarding the reduc-
ton Of her armed forces, France and
her allies should be still fully armed.
We, through President Hoover and
other representatives of this country,
say that the trouble with Europe is
that she spends too much money on
arms and armament, and that it is
just this extravagant and unjustihable
expense that is at the bottom of Eu-
ropes economic trouble. The British
have joined in the chorus and have
been warning continental Europe in the |
last few weeks that she must seriously |
consider disarmament.
Italy, although one of the countries |
which is spending much on her ma
tional defense. would be willing to join |
the United States and Great Britain !
and disarm, but she feels that on ac- |
count of her geogra phical position and |
on account Of her unsolved political diff |
ferences with France and Jugoslavia |
she cannot do so. She is, however, |
willing to disarm If her neighbors do |
the same thing. The little entente |
states, Frances satellites, claim that |
they cannot reduce their armament as
long as Russia continues to threaten |
them. France finally says that with
a sturdy German population across the
Rhine, population full of hatred for
France and by 100000 superior to
the French population; with the Ital-
a hnr
sion. she cannot possibly consider re-
ducing her forces unless she has ample
guarantees from Great Britain and the
United States that the present peace
treaties will be maintained, and that
her present territory will remain in
tact.
Possible French Attitude.
When the Germans go to Paris to
discuss with the French the possibili-
ties of better understanding between
cooperation, as indicated by President |
Hoover, they are likely to find the
French difhdent. The French ask for
nothing better than an economic CO.
operation but that on their own terms.
They want as 4 proof 6f good faith
on the part Of their neighbors across
the Rhine the abandonment Of all their
political ambitions. They want the
Germans not to press the disarmament |
Geneva and let France play her cards
without Germany's interference The
Germans will undoubtedly be told that |
they can be assisted economically and
that FRANCE might conceivably agree |
even to a revision of the Young plan |
payments. If the Reich leaves the he
gemony pr Continental Europe to France
rrybn hne Loft n fe =
country full of hopes that he will bring |
together the European nations to agree |
between themselves before the Geneva |
meeting in February, will probably |
have 4 pretty hard time with the |
French.
It is the opinion of our diplomats |
that the Franco Italian naval ques- |
ton must be settled before we can |
hope for any success at Geneva. Had
Secretary Stimson arrived In Europe |
before the Hoover proposal he would |
have found the French In q receptive |
frame Of mind. The Italo-French naval !
trouble Is no longer very serious; It's |
just matter Of Interpretation and good |
will. The French were on the point Of
yielding some six weeks ago and little |
pressure then might have settled the |
today. The French public opinion is !
incensed at what The French press de- |
scribes as the Equatorial attitude Of |
the Anglo-Saxon countries. The French |
politicians and the press have talked
q good deal in the last two weeks about |
the heavy sacrifices France has been
forced to make to save Mr.. Hoover's |
second term as President and the |
$500 100000 the American bankers |
have invested In Germany"
Public opinion consequently Is OPP |
Y10sed IN anv 1ilrther concessions III |
the concessions required from France |
are Of nature which might appear to |
interfere with her plans for national |
aaE..a.a NJ. c4ix,aeasa xx,iN AsaA A. flifa. L