THE NEW TRIPLE ALLIANCE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 252, 18 July 1919, Page 14

THE NEW TRIPLE ALLIANCE

$ A PLEDGE TO FRANCE In the general absorption of I lie public in the pence issues comparatively little interest lias been manifested in the new Triple Alliance, by which Circat Rritniit and the United States are pledged to protect France in the event of an attack bv Germany. The case for the Alliance is admirably stated by the London Spectator." Tho words in which the new Triple Alliance is proposed, dai's llml" journal, are important:— "In addition to Ihe securities offered in

verv different Triple Alliance from the old Triple Alliance of. evil omen between (iermanv. Austria, nnd Italy. That was an Alliance between a domineering Stale I and her 'brilliant second'—not su very j brilliant, after all—and a third party, ! Italy, who reluctantly acquiesced because ; she'Vas intimidated, because, she knew j her frontiers to bo strategically indefenI sible. and because she ' could not act j otherwise. The first obvious considersii lion when one examines this new Treaty • is Hint it is bound to rob the League of ; Nations of some of its authority. This ■ must be admitted. It cannot be helped. | C'earlv. if the League were sufficient in ! itself to enforce the pence of the world, | I hero would be no need for special groupings of nations within the League. In so far as nations do group themselves in such a wav as. to take out-fresh insurance policies for their /safely, they confess that the League does not give them nderuiale' security. It is well known that France has throughout taken the view that the League in its present form would not sufficiently secure her. She ' wanted the League to have a sort of j (icneral Staff which would he able to j concert military plans and mobilise i forces asainst any disturber of the peace. ' For several reasons Ihe Allies of. France i could not agree In this plan, and now we ; see this new Triple Alliance accepted by [■Franco as n substitute. Wo also fee in | it satisfactory evidence that one grout lesson of the war has been learnt by (ii-flat Britain., Our front is no longer on our own shares, but lies in the Continent of Europe. Napoleon perceived the truth when he said that .from the ports nearest to us on the other side of the Channel he could point a dagger at ihe heart 'of England. That is even more true in these days of submarines nnd aircraft. If over France were to be attacked again, it would be a marc act of self-preservation on our part to rush to her assistance. Some British people were so blind that they could not see that in helping France in August, 19U. we wpre'onlv defending ourselves, and dial: if Germany overwhelmed France fas she would'have done if we had not helped FrnnceVour turn to be, attacked.would have come later. Tn that event, at the mnnipnt of our greatest need we should not have b"en able to claim in a friend in the world."