The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-01-16
ARMED FORCES
OF FRANCE ARE
BEST IN WORLD
Yet Spirit of Peace ReignS
in Thoughts of People,
Says Writer.
Continued From Page One)

enabling them to compete with Ger
many
In the Saar, France has been ex-
plotting what were once German
coalfelds, and she will continue to
do so until the plebiscite under the
League of Nations auspices in 1885.
Throughout Europe, French inf1u-
ence in politics is more potent than
at any time since Napoleon. France
has reason to be satisfied.
The spirit of peace reigns in the
thoughts of the people, but the pow
der factories, the steel works, the
dockyards clang and rattle as tanks,
guns, aircraft, war vessels are ham
mered into shape and ranged up IN
readiness for action.
The very reasons which give
France cause for satisfaction make
her uneasy and determined to be
prepared.
Lives Among Envious Neighbors
Frances position in Europe today
is much like that of a rich man liv-
ing amongst poor, envious neighbors.
France has nothing to gain, but
much to lose by new war.
The French viewpoint, is that the
| instigatorS of strife in Europe now
are not the French people, but the
nations defeated in 1918.
Germany" says the French,
secretly is preparing to attack us
in ocder to wrest back the territory
she lost, to rejoin her dismembered
East Prussia to the homeland by
abolition of the Polish corridor and
to fly once more the German flag
on the high seas"
Efforts by American and British
statesmen and even by Germans
themselves to disabuse the French
mind of this persistent nightmare
have failed. The argument put to
the French has been this:
Urged to Cut Arms
ut was the ornaments race be-
fore 1914 which was the direct cause
of the World war If France re-
mains as powerfully armed as she
is today an ornaments race can be
the only result.
You can not expect your neigh
Dor to be forever deprived of what
you call defensive weapons so long
as you remain with guns and tanks
and bombers.
She, too, has neighbors against
whom she might want to defend
herself"
The French reply to this is I'M
wavering. I'VE admit" they say,
Eve have been spending $450,O00,0O0
yearly on our armed forces, that our
new forts on the frontiers are cost
ing us $240,000,OO0; that they will be
the most efficient and most heavily
armed in existence, that we have
100000 men under arms.
Measures of Protection
"But we already have made arms
sacrifices. We have cut down our
conscript army from three years
service to year and our metropoli-
tan forces soon will be less than
half million.
I'VE can not move our fortifica-
lions in order to attack another ma
ton, therefore, they are purely de-
fensive;; in the present state of Eu-
rope we can not dispense with any
more bayonets and we need our
navy to protect our colonies.
If war should break out, we
should require to protect lines of
communication by sea to bring our
colored troops from our colonies to
aid us"
Briefly stated. that is the French
attitude. The only means of secur-
ity France can think of at the mo-
ment is her army, navy, air force
and land fertilization. No French
man, except of the extreme left
wing, would abandon a single one
of these unless compromising as
suranceS of safety were forthcom-
ing
Security Is Demanded
1--WE are ready to go further in
disarmament if you give us secur-
ity" is the persistent French cry.
The answer to this is that the
Locarno treaty, in which France is
assured, as is Germany, of assist
ance in the event of attack by an
aggressor exists, and that there is
the Kellogg BRAND pact. France
holds that these are not enough.
The other nations reply they can
give no more.
There is the deadlock.
What will be the way out of the
deadlock? The solution remains
with France. 1t remains to be seen
whether sufficient pressure can be
brought to bear on her to give way.
Civic Club Chiefs to Meet
Meeting Of the execlltive hoard of