Trance Doubling Stakes-Ex-Premier
Invaders of
Ruhr Adopt
New Policy
N " I
Lloyd George Protests W isdom
of Attempt to Starve Ger
many Into Surrender
by Siege.
-—
Sees Disaster in Result
—
BY THE RIGHT HONOR Mil.E DAY1D
1,1,0YD GEORGE. O. M., M. P.
(Former llrltlnh Premier)
Copyright, IMS, by Inited Feature
Syndicate.
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C hronlrle.
Copyright In Australasia by Australian
Press Association.
Kirluslrn Umlil Right* Held by Cnltcd
Feature Syndicate.
Reprodurtlnn In Whole ar In Part Pro
hibited.
All Right* Renerved.
London, February .’4.—The French
government, having conspicuously
failed to win its anticipated coup, is
doubling the stakes each time it loses.
When w ill it- end and where will it
end? It is still gambling with human
passions. They are all engaged in
this wild venture—on both sides of
the table. Pride, greed, vanity, ob
s ti nancy, temper, combativeness,
racial antagonisms: hut also patriot
ism, love of wrong and high courage.
Kach side draws from the same
treasury of fiery human emotions. 1
ynless someone steps in to induce a
halt I fear the result will he devastat- |
ing.
France has now abandoned all hope
of being able to run the mines, rail
ways and workshops of the Ruhr by
military agencies. In these days you
y cannot stioot every worker who fails
to excavate so many hundredweights
of coal per diem, or who refuses to
fill a wagon or drive a locomotive
w hen and by whomsoever he is told
to do so. She cannot -provide the
necessary complement of miners and
lailwaymen from outside to fill the
vacancies created by sulky workers.
And even if she could it would take
many months ere they become suf
ficiently accustomed to their new
conditions to work without peril to
themselves.
New Policy.
So a new policy has been impro
vised. It is nothing lees than a siege
of Germany. Sixty millions of Ger
mans are to be starved into surrender.
That's a long business, as everyone
knows who has been engaged on the
difficult operations of strike break
ing. We have often witnessed work
ers, with little support or sympathy
from the rest of the community, hold
out for weeks after their funds have
been exhausted. Jn Germany all
classes are united in resistance. The
national pride fortifies endurance and
incites to sacrifice, and the ports are
still open. Meanwhile incidents may
happen, developments may occur
which will create a situation that will
baffle all the resources the invaders
can command.
It Is very little use jobbing back
ward. But there are many who are
disposed to say that invasion of the
Ruhr was bound to come and the
sooner the safer. The Ruhr coal
Latest Picture of Ex-Premier and Wife
hbbw..«. . rrnrwtiiiwwiw'■wtiwy.a m ■ - w ■ ■•»•- - • • -
The former premier made n brilliant speech In the house of commons Monday and appealed for American
aid in settling the difficulties between France and Germany. The government was sustained, however. The
picture, which is the most recent one of the former premier and his wife to reach the I'nlted States, shows them
upon their arrival in Paddington, l.nndon, Fngland, after (heir holiday in Spain.
mines were the wild oats of repara
tion. Get it over quickly. The head
ache will bring repentance and
France will then settle down to quiet
life. That's the argument.
French Opinion Changes.
I must enter emphatic protest
against this view. If this ill judged
enterprise had been put off for a few
more months I do not believe any
French government would have em
barked upon it. There is no French
statesman of any standing who in his
heart believes In its wisdom. Now
that the credit of France is involved
in its success they will all support it.
But French opinion as a whole was
moving with startling rapidity from
this policy. The Parisian pulse was
still feverish, but the provinces had
completely calmei\ down. Vacancies
occurring in the senate and the cham
ber of deputies during several months
have afforded an opportunity for test
ing real Frencli opinion, and the re
sults have been sensational.
Shrink From Bloodshed.
Driving through the villages in ag
ricultural France" you find yourself
asking "where are the ypung men?"
The answer invariably comes "This
village suffered severely in the war."
You will receive the same answer in
the next village and the next. We can
not wonder, therefore, that byelec
tions in rural as wGl as in urban
Frame display unmistakable weari
ness of plans which involve the
marching of armed Frenchmen into
hostile territory. The sorrowing peo
ple of Franco havp good reason to
shrink from any course of action that
leads to further shedding of blood.
That Is why 1 have steadily favored
every scheme that hj»d the effect of
postponing a decision as to the Uuhr.
Delay meant ultimate defeat for tlie
Chauvinists. That is why they strove
so hard to rush their government into
this precipitate action. The abrupt
termination of the Paris conference
was (heir opportunity and they seized
It with tingling fingers. Until then
there had never been a clean break !
on which violence could tie founded
Friends of moderation both here Rnd
on the continent had seen to that. '
There had been references of ques
tions for the scrutiny of experts snd
calming adjournments to await their
report. When It arrived there were
endless suggestions and countfrsug
geations to meet difficulties. In the
end Europe was saved from the catas
trophe of once more handing Its des
tinies to the guidance of blind force.
Proposal Rejected.
Unhappily, weariness or Impatience
Induced the Paris negotiators In s
few hours to drop the reins which
had for the last four years held the
furies from dashing along their career
of destruction. There were many
alternative plans that might have been
discussed. There was a proposal to
refer the whole question to the league
of nations. It 1r true that when I
suggested it In August last M. Poin
care summarily rejected it. P.ut the
allies also rejected Poincare's propo
sals by a majority of four to one at
that conference.
That did not preVent his repeating
tin m In January—and this time he
succeeded in winning over a majority
lo his view. A little more persistence ,
and less pessimism might have per
suaded Belgium, Italy and Japan to
aid our apiieals to France to trust
rather to the league of nations than
to the uncertainties of war. What is
still more Inexplicable is the failure
' of the conference to take any note
'of Mr. Secretary Hughes’ New Haven
speech.
Neglected opportunities litter the
path of this troublesome question.
! There were the Cannes conversations
broken off Just as they were reach
i ing fruition. Had they been continued
' another week they would have ended
| lr. a helpful settlement which would
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have brought reparation* to France,
confidence to Germany and peace to
Europe. They struck on one of many
eunken reefs which bestrew French
political seas, and 1J will ndt surprise
me to find that the whole cargo of
reparations disappeared than beyond
salvage into the deep with these ship
wrecked negotiations.
Opportunity Thrown Away.
Again Germany threw away a great
opportunity at Genoa when all the
nations of Europe came together for
the first time to discuss their troubles
in a spirit of equality and amity. It
Is -true reparations were excluded at
the instance of France from the pro
gram of the conference. Hut the
spirit engendered by a friendly settle
ment of all other outstanding ques
tlcn% would have rendered a reason
able and temperate consideration of
reparations Inevitable. Germany, by
the foolish staging of its Russian
agreement, made all that Impossible.
Resentment and suspicion were
once more equipped with a lash, and
they used it relentlessly to drive out
all good will for Germany from the
purlieus of that great congress. An
other lost opportunity.
Then there was the bankers' com
mittee appointed to consider the ques
tion of raising an international loan
to help France finance the repair
of her devastated area, and also to
assist Germany restore her demora
lized currency. I remember how eag
er poor Rathenau was to float that
loan, and "how sanguine he was It
would succeed. He was confident that
German nationals who Have Invested
their gold in other land* could be in
duced to subscribe heavily to the
loan. The bankers concerned—all were
of the highest reputation in the fi
nanclal world—were confident that
if German reparations were fixed
at a reasonable sum. investors
throughout the world would gladly
put their money into a great Inter
national loan which would help to re
store Europe. The French govern
ment testily declined to consider the
essential conditions indicated by th#«
bankers.
liUEhea’ Offer Overlooked.
Another lost opportunity, and Eu
rope once more lumbered along lta
dreary way to seek another. It came
with Mr. Hughes’ famous speech. It
was clearly the result of prolonged
consiffcratlon. For weeks there ha/1
been rumors of much consultation In
Washington on the state of Europe,
and we were encouraged to hope that
America meant business. The result
was Mr. Secretary Hughes’ offer.
It was made four days before the
Parts conference, and was obviously
Intended to be discussed by the allies
there. An endeavor has been made to
minimize the Importance of this Amer
ican approach to Euretpe. But it Is
Incomprehensible to me how so mo
mentous a pronouncement has been
treated as if it were merely the cas
ual utterance of a politician who
ant in every land always moves slow
ly. But there can be no doubt that
the French peasant has had enough
of military adventures. His sons
were never numbered amongst the
"exempts" and the losses In the peas
ant homes of France were appalling.
Another opportunity lost—perhaps
^he greatest—perhaps the last. Never
has luck striven ao hard to save stu
pidity. Rut luck loses Its temper eas
lly, snd then It is apt to hit hard.
Buick Business Booming
Baick Modal 23 • Six ■ 50 „
0
H. Pelton, local Buick dealer, state*
that tha Buick business tor spring
delivery is shaping itself rapidly and,
judging from indications now, he will
do a large business this spring.
"We have 25 closed cars in storage
now," said Mr. Pelton. "and have a
full line of care on our floor at OUT
sales rooms. Every day more people
are becoming convinced of the ster
ling worth of Bui«fc car*.”
Mr. Pelton will be represented at
the automobile show and will sbars
the exhibit with the Nebraska Buick ^
Auto company.
I
America Must Look to Car
Market in Scandinavia
"American automobile manufac
turer's will have to look out for their
market in Scandinavia and north Eu- 1
rope," says Axel Akerman, special
commissioner of the international au
tomobile exhibition In Gothenburg,
Sweden, May 9 to July 9, 1923. The
show is part of tlfc Gothenburg Jubi
lee exposition, which is planned to
! be the greatest fair ever held in
Scandinavia.
"There is a big market in Sweden
for medium and low priced American
cars, ' Mr, Ackerman says. "They are
generally preferred to the heavy Eu
ropean types. Touring the latter part
of 1922, however, the European mak
ers have pushed their cars system
atically. and are gaining in favor be
cause their new cars are better suit
*d to the Kw«-dish roads than former
ly.
“In Pweden low gasoline consump
tion is of great importance, and many
of the leading fciurop^an manufactur
ers hav* come far In this respect.
Near Motor Car Accident
Turns Woman's Hair White
To what extent are automobiles re
sponsible for prematurely white hair? \
1’ar.H has just been hearing of an au
thenticated case of a lady who nar
row! y escaped being run over by f
car and was bo frightened that sh
fell in a faint. On being revived aT
taken to her home, several locks
her hair had turned quite white.
A total of 23.733 Immigrants from
the United States entered Canada
last year, with cash and effects val
ued at *9.544.027.
Nebraska Buick Auto Co.
LINCOLN
i H. E. SMIm, Prn
OMAHA
Lm Huff, V. frl.
SIOUX CITY 1
H R. Mgr. J
%
teGu*27“
