To Stay

To evacuate the Cologne bridgehead area or not to evacuate the Cologne bridgehead area? That was the question, reduced to its simplest expression, which was to the fore in France, Britain and Germany; the rest of the world was an interested spectator.

According to the Treaty of Versailles, Cologne was to be evacuated Jan. 10, 1925, Coblenz, Jan. 10, 1930, Mainz, Jan. 10, 1935, "if the conditions of the present treaty are faithfully carried out by Germany."

It is a platitude that Germany has not carried out faithfully her treaty obligations. Recently the Allied Military Control Mission (a body established to see that Germany observed the disarmament clauses of the Versailles Treaty) returned from Germany. It is at present in Paris preparing its report for presentation to the Council of Ambassadors--a body composed of Allied Diplomats accredited to France, meeting at Paris under the presidency of the French Foreign Minister (Premier Herrin), whose functions are to decide questions arising from the treaties of peace.

The Ambassadors knew enough about the report to form a decided opinion that Germany was secretly preparing for war. Aside from the alleged quantity of munitions that was found, the most serious discovery was that concerning manpower. This is best revealed in a historical analogy which laid the foundation of the modern European system of training enormous armies by calling various classes of men to the colors for a definite period (Universal Military Service, or conscription).

In the peace of Tilsit, between Napoleon and Prussia, it was laid down that the Prussian Army was not to exceed 42,000 men. Prussia kept the treaty, but men like Scharnhorst, Clausewitz, Gneisenau, Stein, Grolmann, saw a way around it. They reorganized the Army on the basis of universal military service, which meant that they would never have an army of more than 42,000 men; but as the old classes were released, new classes were called up, and an effective trained reserve was formed.

Just as the Germans did in 1808, so the Germans are doing today with the 100,000 men allowed them by the Versailles Treaty. It has been estimated by reliable experts that Germany has a trained army of no less than 500,000 men, although, technically, the uniformed military force does not exceed the prescribed 100,000.

Another factor which doubtless influenced the Allies was that, according to the London Agreement (which settled the means and ways of putting the Experts' Plan into operation), the Ruhr area is not to be evacuated until Aug. 30, 1925. Withdrawal of British troops, which hold the Cologne bridgehead, would isolate France, who would then be obliged to reoccupy the,area.

With all this in mind, the British and French Cabinets agreed last week that evacuation of the Cologne area was impossible. The Council of Ambassadors undertook to convey the information officially to the German Government. Germany, because of the publication of the French and British Cabinet decision against evacuation, had already heard the news, was indignant. Practically all the German press, irrespective of party affiliation, joined in condemning the action. In Monarchist circles, there was wild talk of. Germany being justified in not working the Experts' Plan.