The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-10-13
COL HOUSES BIG JOB.
History OF the World from the Begin
ming Only Part of Ii.


remotest beginning. with special at
tention TO all collateral branches. side
eddies, adventures largely begun that
came to small endings. questions of
every nature, social. political, and re-
iigious. and much profound inquiry
into the nature of man. all these are
not merely germane to the work Colo
mel House has undertaken but are
imperatively a part of 1t. He is to
prepare the case" all the multi
tude OF cases. for the American peace
commissioners who will have seats at
the council table OF the nations when
the definite treaties are to be
drawn up that will restore peace to
the world.
Lord Salisbury was the one man
In Europe who really did master the
Schleswig- Holstein question. In his
imperishable and unreadable work on
those provinces all needed information
can be had as to the rights and
wrongs of the scandalous intrigue and
the war that made them a part of the
German empire. So that will be
easy. Alsace-Lorraine will demand
much delving into Frankish history,
but year or two ought to suffice.
Committees of the Congress of Vienna
worked weary months over Poland
and the line that was to divide, Prus
sia from Russia. The general disposi-
ton to give the Poles their indie
pendence will much simplify the task
OF the peace conference and of Col
onei House in that quarter. But the
Balkan readustments, the future Of
the Jugo- -Slavs-there is a lifetime OF
labor. Shall Bosnia and Herzegovina
be made a part of Serbia, and what
is to be done abot the Czechs and
he Croats, about Bulgarias gains in
the second Balkan war. about Ga
licia, Bessarabia, the Dobr,ldja and
Albania? Fortunately. the Sanjaa
Of Novi-Bazar has been absorbed and
will give Colonel House no trouble.
But Armenia. indeed the whole uues-
lion OF the Turk in Europe and of
the future status of the Dardanelles.
that Will require much investigation n
and profond study. il the Amer
lean commissioners are to be fur
nished with information of such full
ness that they will be able to hold
their own i'm the conference dis
with gray-beard statesmen
and professors who have thought OF
nothing else all their lives
The American position on all these
IL an American position Is
to be taken. will have to be based on
some predetermined principle, policy.
or body Of doctrine. Empiricism in
peace conference. particularly In this
one. would De an unsatisfactory basis
OF action. The pacifists. who, con-
sciously or unconscious!y, are laboring
perial power to serve as a continuing
menace to the peace of the world.
try to find crumbs OF comfort in the
language Of the presidents reply to
the Pope. He said that we should
deem inexpedient punitive dam
ages. the dismemberment Of empires,
the establishment Of selfish and eco
nomic leagues" Self-interest and the
sense OF the world will avert
the folly Of selfish economic leagues:
the assessment Of punitive or even
damages upon the CEN
tral powers will be eliminated by the
somewhat important fact that they
will be too poor to pay their existing
debts. But conditions do not sanction
the strict Interpretation which the
pacifsts would too gladly put upor
the phrase "dismemberment Of en-
pires." The restoration CT Alsace-Lo
raine to France Is an indispensable
to peace, but that would OBJ
involve an act of dismember-
ment. So would the detachment o
Bosnia and Herzegovina from Austria
But it would be monstrous to permit,
the Dual Monarchy. after her defeat
i'm war which she was instrumental
in bringing on, to retain, against th.'
will of their people, these two prov
years ago by an act which was q de-
fiant breach of treaty based upon
the joint pledge OF all the great Eu-
ropean nations.
The pacifists. here visibly working