The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-03-09
Time IS NOT RIPE.
URGING WILSON TO INTERVENE
FOR PEACE IN EUROPE Is
USELESS.
HE AWAITS AN OPPORTUNITY
Possibility Of Ending the War Always
In Presidents Mind, but He Knows
the Fighting Nations Are Not Ready
10 Quit.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-From time to time the
White House receives petitions from
peace and church societies and from
organizations which are devoted to
sociological endeavor, urging the pres
tdent to intervene in behalf of peace
on the other side of the water. Some
months ago these petitions were re-
ceived in Washington in great mum.
bers. Then for time comparatively
few came, but recently it is said there
has been an increase in the size of the
peace-pe%itioning mail bag.
It can be said that the possibility
of bringing about peace has been in
President Wilson's mind ever since the
war began. 1t is generally believed
in Washington, however, that Mr. Will
son feels he cannot take up such a
matter at the present time. for unques-
tionably he thinks the nations en-.
gagged in fighting one another would
consider such a proposal at this time
as something like an impertinence.
Those who seem to know Mr. Viii
sons views say he has his eye and
heart watching and waiting for a
peace-proposing opportunity, but that
be has had no illusions on the sub
ject. 1t can be taken for granted that
the president wants to bring about
peace for the sake Of peace, and, of
course, it is natural to suppose he
realizes it would be a master stroke
for his administration if it were to be
the chief instrument in making war
ring men lay down their arms.
When Japan and Russia we're fight
ing each other twelve years ago. Theo-
dore Roosevelt, who was then presi-
dent Of the United States, found out
that both of the warning nations were
willing to listen to peace proposals
and then he succeeded in bringing
about the conference at Portsmouth.
N. H., which resulted in the signing
Of a peace treaty by the two nations.
Not Yet Ready for Peace.
Mr.. Roosevelt felt his way toward
making his proposals. 1t seems to be
unquestionably true that Mr.. Wilson
has felt his way likewise in the pres
ent instance, but that he has found
the way led up against stone wall.
Here Is the way one Washington Of
fetal has put the matter:
Peace proposals by pacitists. peace
ships loaded with amity lovers from
bow to stern, tracts with the Golden
Rule emblazoned on them, the walls
of war widows and orphans and all
other things born of sympathy and
good will. it is felt today by the admin
istration and it's advisers, will be of no
avail, because of the stern fact that
the fighting nations are not ready for
peace"
1t might he said without much dan
ger Of going wrong that the central
powers today would be willing to sub
NIT to peace negotiations because of
their favored position at the present
time. Germany and Austria are in
possession of Belgium, a part of
France, parts of other countries and
the whole of some of the smaller
states. Therefore Washington recog-
nizes that the central powers are in
good position to be willing that
peace should come.
On the other hand, there is every in
dication that neither the English nor
the French, nor the Russians, nor the
Italians would look on peace proposals
at the present time as anything but
proposals to bring to them misfortunes
worse thAn war itself. In other words,
the allied countries probably would
hold that even to consider peace at
this moment would be tantamount to
intimatiNg willingness to give up
territor9 and to stop the war at q
loss not only of territory but of
prestige.
Foreign Affairs Political Issue.
For a year and half after the Eu-
ropean war broke out virtually all the
members of congress seemed to feel
that the diplomatic dealings of this
country with the belligerent nations
should not be made subjects of par
tisaIs debate. This feeling now has
passed, to considerable extent, and
the foreign policies of the government
are being made the subject of heated
discussion in both houses Of congress.
The Democrats say the Republicans
first made the foreign matters a po-
litical issue, and the Republicans re-
tort that the weak methods of han
ding foreign matters forced over-the.
sea relations into the political field,
and that the people, taking the matter
up, made their senator's and repre-
sentatives follow suit.
Elihu Root made his speech in New
York city at the unofficial convention
o fthe Republican party. He attacked
the administrations foreign policy. A
few days afterward Senator Lewis of
Illinois delivered himself in the senate
Of an address in support of the ad-
ministration's diplomatic dealings, and
in his speech he charged the Republic
ans with trying to make political CAPT.
tai out of matters which had no place
in politics.
Then came the speech of Senator
Lodge, Republican, of Massachusetts,
in which he criti. ICED sharply the
state departments dealing and,
over the gAoulder of the state depart
ment, the directing influence Of Pres