New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-12
"BUCHAREST-AND AFTER
Is a Peace of Utrecht Possible in This
Democratic Age?

To the Elif0f or Inc lEiuAHt'
Sir: In your issue Of December there
appeared an article entitled Bucharest and
After" VIII you kindly allow me to make
the following observationl
Tho eminent historian who wrote your cd
itorial will agree with me that all historical
analogics arc dangerous An the present
moment they are practically impossible
Il a true that the Peace OF Utrecht and
the Congress Of Vienna indicated the last
phase Of two great wars for conquest Inc
pcace which will make an end to tho present
conflict will resemble these famous treaties
In this one particular respect. But not III
any others.
The High and Mightinesses who sat around
the green baizc table OF the Utrecht Town
Hall and their eXcelencies who gathered 10
laugh AT the witticisms Of the former Bishop
~ Autun belonged to n type which has died
ont They represented the interests Of Ger
tain families and not that Of definite num-
her ~ nations. To them the map Of Europe
meant nothing but the potential aggrandlZe-
ment of the House Of Bourbon or Hapsburg
or Romanow. with a pair Of scissors they
cut this map into little bits. They divided
the spoils for their mutual benefit III we
take half a million mon here and give them
20 so and SO. and II we take ten thousand
square miles there and hand them over 70
such and such country, and If we increase
the revenues of this king By ten million and
reduce the income Of that state by twenty
we shall all be happy
That in short, was the substance oil tneir
discussions. The wishes, however and the
natural interests Of the different nations
were ignored. II was not until the end OF
the great French Revolution in the year lo4S
that better conception of nationality dc
voloued Tho peace which must come one Of
these DAYS will be concluded by men with
different mission. The ENJOYS extraordinary
and ministers plenipotentiary who will gather
around the next green table will be the rep
rcscntativcs Of a number or nations. lhey
will have n higher duty than 20 guard the
interests Of few dynasties. They viii be
the delegates Of millions of men. They VIII
be called upon TO represent their consutu-
outs al home.
n seems 20 me that the writer Of your
editorial has overlooked this fact entirely.
This war was not fought by mercenaries who
had chosen q military career as their PROBES
sion. II is being fought by all the men, all
the women and a great any Of the children
the decreased prestige of the ruling house.
Il will mean national calamity. The sac
rifces have been so general, the devotion to
an ideal however wrong on all sides has
been so stupendous. that the people will pay
very close attention TO the discussions OF the
next peace conference.
In the present war We have 20 deal with
the clashing interests Of several large groups
of men. each consisting Of tens Of millions Of
individuals. They are no longer the
patient mob Of the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries. Hence the discussions Of peace
will be accompanied By many difficulties Of
which the delegates at Utrecht and Vienna
were totally ignorant.
On the 18th Of April Of the year 17l3 the
people were treated TO free beer and fire
works Then they went back to work. Mat
tiers of war and peace and international policy
were none of their business. They left these
TO the powers who were their masters by
divine right" Divine right had its head
cut off In 1919 and 1898. This time there will
be less free beer There will be no fireworks.
There will be the everlasting question WHY?
and the men responsible for the war and in
strumental in concluding the next peace will
be obliged 70 answer that question.
HENDRIX WILLEM VAN LOON.
Ithaca r. Y, Dec. Q, 1916.