All the facts suggest that it is insane for France
to-rub salt into the wounds of Germany just- now. The mast General Election in Germany 'brought_ a distinctively Republican and pacific and mainly Socialist Government into power. This Government_ is as_ different as can be from the old Imperialist Government which for very good reasons indeed used to keep Frenchmen awake at nights. What could be worse from the French point of view now than that Germans should be given a pretext for saying that a pacifically minded Government has made France mistrust and fear Germany more than ever and that the only safe course after all is for Germany to rely on a Nationalist spirit and accumulate her store of powder and keep it dry ? Surely the British Government have a sufficient interest in the matter to make very clear representations in Paris. Accepting a great risk with open eyes Great Britain pledged her future by guarantee- ing the Eastern frontier of France. For our part we had no doubt that that guarantee was necessary, and we are glad that it was given. But there is no reason why we should not point out now that we do not want the risk gratuitously to be turned into an active danger, France owes it to us, who are her friends, to make the risk as small as possible.
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