OCR Text |
Show OQ CANNOT AND WILL NOT FORGET THE PAST Lver since the terms of the uruiis-uce uruiis-uce were elaborated at t lie conference of Versailles and the figures of repa-tion repa-tion were presented to Germany, one effort after another has been mude to modify and BOften the requirements. I until the French, grown weary of j yielding, have 11(00 a firm stand and j are saying there will be no more re-1 ireatlng. One is forced to sympthiz. to BOOK extent with the French, who ndured foot years of a devastation prompted in great part by a ruthless desire of the enemy to permanently cripple and destroy. Every time a Frenchman, in the devastated region, looks at the tuins about him and thinks of the wanton wan-ton destruction, he resolves on mak , ing bis former tormentors pay ii price of restitution of the thlnr- phvsl caL The restoration of the men. i women and children crushed under i he wheels of tyranny is in the realm of the lmpos-lbb Then-ton . when , new proposals arri:. suget'tin BOftV ier terms for the despollers of France 'here la resentment and b thoughts come back which were given birth when ni rc bad do place in tin hearts of the invaders of northern ! France. Now that the Genoa conference 1 1 being discussed, this question of Franco iclding to further entreaties for the making less onerous the pay ments by Germany, again is upper molt and it is said that the statement state-ment of policy made by Tremier Poln-care, Poln-care, in which he announced that Germany Ger-many must make full reparation pa-i ments. and that France could not ac cept an Invitation to Genoa unless it was understood in advance the qucs tion of German reparations was no: io be discussed, does not fit in with the American position The United SU'es government also feels the ques-xion ques-xion of the reduction and limitation of land armament of European nations should bo considered as ono of the necessary steps in a sincere effort to balance national budgets. There is no indication in what Premier Polncare . aid that France is prepared to consid er that question at all. The present latitude of France in antagonism to the modification of German Tepara lions payments, and other conditions laid down by France a essential to its participation in the proposed Genoa Ge-noa conference, has made it uncer lain that the conference at Genoa will be held on March B, if at all Americana will find it difficult 10 . ppreclate the reeling of distrust which is Inborn among Europeans as .i product of the ages of warring. Wo . ould be induced to forgive the Germans, Ger-mans, but the French must uproot much of tho history of the past to re-onclle re-onclle themselves to tho conduct of their neighbors, and the GermanB qually are as unforgiving and as suspicious. sus-picious. Neither ono will yield to the other except through forco and neither neith-er one will reBpect the other except in the presence of military power. no |