Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-26

II Au6LIO~NteTmdn AnSCTIuSS DTO-
l. posal. Following the first explo-
sive emotion. there was tenn
porary lull, which continues at the time
at which write, but may be interrupted
at any moment. 1t would be saying fal
too much to compare this lull with thai
which came Immediately after the Sera-
jevo crime, to be shattered finally BY
the Austrian ultimatum to Belgrade
1t would be too much because no dan
ger Of war in any present time turks
behind the incident.
Nevertheless, there is just this meas.
ure Of resemblance-the tendency now
as in 1914, to believe the incident termi-
mated IS totally unfounded and can.leat
to unpleasant awakening. The truth !,
that this incident has served like q
fash of lightning, to disclose the situa-
ton which prevails in Europe at the
present hour, and explains an anxiety
existing in all foreign oficeS and In
formed circles which certainly is with.
out parallel in the last seven years.
To take France, where I have beer
living for some weeks. as an example
there is no mistaking the fact here that
in and out Of Paris popular feeling Il
rising. popular suspicion is spreading
and the pressure upon the Laval cabi-
net to do something condemns 1t to take
the fundamental antagonismS Of con-
temporary Europe squarely into the
open.
Division Of Powers Looms.
What one now faces Is the possibility
OF a swift and complete division Of Eu-
rope into two opposed groups Of powers,
with France and Germany heading the
respective groups, Italy tending toward
the German side, and a British Labor
government striving with equal earnest
ness to prevent such a division and TO
keep out of the French camp.
The German stroke has been so far
successful as to demonstrate that Brit
ain will not join France in any opposi-
ton to the Anschluss. save that which
is based upon juridicial grounds. But,
whether legal or not, France means to
prevent 1t, because for political reasons
1t would be fatal to the whole French
conception OF peace and security in
Europe.
AS for Italy, while she has no warm
enthusiasm for seeing Austro- German
union in the future. she remains far
more concerned with Jugoslav dam
gers in the present. And since Jugo-
slavia is an ally of France, Italy has so
far declined to join France in any pro-
tests. She Is more afraid Of an imme-
date Slav claim upon Trieste than Of
an eventual pan-German push to the
Adriatic.
But the outstanding circumstance in
Europe today Is that while on the sur
face conversations concerning diSarma-
ment and cooperation continue, be-
meath the surface wherever people in
terested or concerned In international
relations gather the talk has once more
the character of before the World War.
Europe Is talking about its affairs in
the tone. the manner and the terms
which were universal before 1914; and,
at least since Locarno, have been more
or less laid aside.
France Fears Danger.
The Frenchman is historically minded.
Thus he has been placing the program
OF AuStro-German tariff union along
side that OF the North German union,
which was the prelude to Sadowa and
Sedan. The announcement of the pro-
poSal rang tnnumerable alarm bells in
his mind. Moreover, the striking cir
cumstance. as Andre Tardieu remarked
to me, and ali who are in Paris have
noted, lies in the fact that the little
people, who are seldom concerned about
international affairs and are generally
ignorant Of them, instinctively felt that
something OF importance to them had
happened; that France was, in some
underlined may, entering new danger
zone.
Inevitably BRAND and his policy were
the first targets. Before the coup of
Vienna the presidency was his for the
asking. Now 1t Is not so sure, although
tnere Is developing q feeling that the
best thing might be to get rid of both
BRAND and his policy by shutting the
statesman up in the prison of the Elysee
Palace. the French White House, in
which even Poincare was helpless.
In relatively few months Germany
mas succeeded in arousing the appre-
nension OF most OF her neighbors. Po-
land took alarm over the campaign
speeches OF Treviranu claiming the
Polish Corridor. France began to be
uneasy over German demands at the
preparatory disarmament conference for
equanty In ornaments. which means in
terms OF present-day Europe the right
TO rearm. Czechoslovakia has seen in
the Anschluss move a threat to its very
existence. And since these three coun-
tries are allies. the national feeling in
each has reacted upon the feelings of
the others.
BRAND Loses Prestige.
Consequently BRAND has lost pres
tige. not alone at home but abroad His
policy which is that of reconciliation
and cooperation. has been heavily dis
credited. alike in Paris. in Prague and
IN Warsaw. and hardly less in Belgrade
On the other hand, in GERMANY. If
the Nazi-Socialist movement is suffer-
ing at least temporary check. growing
out OF party divisions, it has already