. We are more hopeful than ever before of peace
in Europe.' 'As we recorded last week, the knotty problem of settling by .what means Germany should be declared, if necessary, 'in default" was settled With a rush at the last moment when agreement seemed to be as far off as ever. We do not pretend that the compromise solution was entirely satisfactory, but at all events the wall was successfully jumped, and it is now well behind us. A new Wall, of which some people did not even suspect the existence, is now ahead of us—the question • of when the French troops shall be withdrawn from the Ruhr. It looks a high wall, but we are convinced that we shall get over it. The logic of the facts is at last seen to require success, and therefore all parties will make success their obiect: That, as we have explained in our first leading article, is our justification for hope- fulness. Technically the matter of evacuation has not been before the Allied Conference because it does not come into the Dawes Report. But though it has not been mentioned, thoughts of it have of course been implicit in everything that has been said or done at the Conference.
