Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-19
nlent is supreme.

in south Germany, where the inf
n1ent is supreme.
1t has been clear from the beginning
of the war that the Pope was eager to
intervene at any moment at which II
was possible and by his mediation to
end a struggle devastating the world,
and particularly the Roman Catholic
world. 1t would be inaccurate to say
that the present papa1 gesture was
mere response of the Vatican to the
Austrian sentiment; but, on the other
hand, it is quite clear that had Austria
Hungary still been determined to con-
tinue the war the present time wou,d
not have been selected by the Pope as
advantageous for his Intervention.
Necessities of transmission of copy OF
this article compel me to comment IN
advance of the receipt of the official ut
terance of the Pope. Such comment as
is made here is therefore based upon
the preliminary forecast OF that oocu-
ment. Yet these forecasts fairly Tore
shadow the text itself.
In the discussion of a peace gesture
by the Pope 1t is essential at the outset
to recognize that, unlike all otner peace
proposals, this arrives at a moment
when the world WEAKNESS OF inc sr;
ous hearing. Outside of Germany tnere
remains no considerable war party In
the world The controlling desire OF
the nations now fighting Germany Is
comprehended in a wish to attain
peace that shall be permanent, and they
are animated by conVicuon that
while Germany remains in possession VI
conquered territory and amrms De-
termination to profit by the war ana Dy
the methods she has employed no peace
can be more than a truce and an lliu-
sion.
Allied Purposes and Numbers.
We must recognize that in the course
of the war there has been an expansion
and a contraction of allied purposes
necessarily incidental to the extension
of allied numbers and to the modinca-
ton of purposes by some of the allies.
Going back to the outset OF the war,
we can recall that 1t was precipieated
NV an Austrian assault on the integrity
and independence of Serbia. Russia en-
tered the war to defend Serbia France
necessarily as an ally of Russia was IN
volved in the struggle. Inc nrsI &C
tion of Germany in the war-the IN
asion of Belgium-drew Great Britain
into the conflict ..
At the outset of the war the issues,
therefore, were twofold-the de1ense OF
the integrity and independence OF Ser
hia and the restoration of the tndepend-
between France and Germany at the
outset of the present war there SUD
sisted the old dispute due to the lorcl-
HE annexation by Germany OF Alsace-
Lorraine in 1871 against the unanimous
protest of a million and half OF peo-
nie-the inhabitants of these pro-
yinces-who desired to remain French
Would Right Old Wrong.
Naturally the French. attacked again
bv Germany, believed and believe that
the old wrong should be righted, and
that Alsace-Lorraine should be restored
to France.
In the same sense. when Italy en-
tered the war the old question OF
Trieste and the Trentino, regions IN.
habited by Italians. but excluded from
Italian frontiers half century ago
when Italy was made. was raised.
In 1903 Austria had annexed Bosnia
and Herzegovina. Districts lnnaDlted Dy
Serbians and included in the aspira-
tions of the Serbian race for unity.
Early in the war the unification OF the
Serb race thus became one OF the de-
tails in the program OF the aihes.
AS the war progressed and Rumani'-
entered the question of Transylvania
and the regions of Hungary inhabited
by Rumanians came equaily 70 ING
fore and it became portion OF Ihe al
lied program to achieve the unlncatlon
Of the Rumanian as well as of the
Serbian people.
The question of Poland was similarly
brought forward when Russia, at the
outset of the war, proclaimed a poiicy
which promised the reunion of Russian,
Austrian and German Poland and au-
tonomy for this nation. which had been
destroyed by Austria, Prussia ana huS-
STA under the direction OF Frederick
the Great IN the closing years of the
eighteenth century.
The entrance of Turkey into the war
reopened the Russo Turkish question,
and in the presence OF an attack py
turkey, as an agent of Germany,
France and England resigned their
historical role as defenders OF tne OAR
danelles against Russian ambition ana
consented to Russian possession of Con-
tantinople.
A partition of Turkey among the ma
tions fighting Germany was also ar
rived at during the process OF negotla-
lions, and this partition aimed at res
cuing the Armenian survivors from the
Turkish massacres, at freeing the
Arabs of Syria and Mesopotamia and
Palestine from Turkish rule and plac-
ing them under the protectorates OF
France, of Italy and of Great Britain.
Conquests in Africa.
Colonial conquests in Africa, which
terminated with the extinction of Ger
man possession of Togoland, Kamerun
and German Southwest Africa. and
practically of German East Africa led
to further arrangements among the
allies for a partition Of these terri
tories thus conquered.
In addition to this. the practical con-
quest of ustria-HSngary by Germany
and the domination of twenty-five mill
lions of Slavs, who were made cannon
fodder for German imperial ambitions.
moved the allies to adopt toward Aus
tria-Hungary a purpose which involved
the ultimate extinction of this ancient
dual monarchy. Western Galicfa was
to be Joined to the new.independent
Poland Kingdom. Bohemia. with its
Slav majority, was to be erected into
an independent state. The southern
Slavs from Cattaro to Fiume were to