The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-30

tnem TINS terrific SentenceH And grant
Ing tina Germany succeeds in establish
Ing some sort Of government which
sends duly authorized delegates to YER
sailles, will that government be able to
obtain ratification Of Its treaty from the
German people, or will 1t and the treaty
both be repudiated?
Combination Fatal.
This, to my mind, Is the fatal dilemma
which grows out of the combination OF
two wholly dissimilar detectives at Yer
sailles. 1t was the dilemma faced by
the conquerors Of Napoleon, who were
as eager as are the victors Of today to
get some insurance against the terrible
CONFUSION which had shaken Europe,
not for 81 months. but for % years.
They solved It by separating the two
with France In the treaty OF Paris, and
In this treaty they deliberately surren-
dered their own material claims against
France that France might not be left
In a state Of sulien and enduring re-
sentiment which would make a new war
almost Inevitable. --aHs
Having lone this, they went to VI
emma and there. In a real congress, un-
dertook the reorganization Of Europe
and Of the International relations Of the
world, which was expressed In the
treaty OF Vienna, fortified by subse-
~ AioAV W lAlA .
At Vienna France appeared as IN equal,
and, represented by Talleyrand, soon re-
asserted her old influence in European
gatherings. The decisions made at Vi
emma were an abomination. They con-
talned the seeds Of untold wars and
revolutions, but this does not lessen the
strength OF the argument that only by
the separation OF the two detectives
could any agreement have been made,
and had the Vienna document been as
good as II was bad II would not have
been possible II the victors of 1914 and
1915 had pursued toward France the
course We are bound to pursue toward
Germany. o.,
In war and In peace, in all human
relations, 1t Is equally essential to fix
upo the objective. Is the Versailles
gathering to be primarily for the pur-
pose OF compelling Germany, at last
conquered, to make just restitution and
reparatlon for past sins against human
ity? To make her repay to the French
and Belgtans what she has stolen.
seized, destroyed? II SO, 1t is easy to
frame a treaty which does these things,
and we have theNpower to enforce this
repayment, however long and intricate
may be the procedure. We have liber-
ated French and Belgian soil and re-
claimed Alsace-Lorrainei the German
colonies are In our hands, as Is the
German navy and the weapons OF the
~ my WV olO oNShPy VT Nho Olb Jain
OF the Rhine and we can continue to oc-
cupy II until Germany pays up, Just as
German soldiers stayed in Eastern
France until the indemnity Of 1871 was
paid,
Is Hun Willing? 4..'
But II our first objective Is to reor-
ganize human society. international So
ciety, by creating a league of nations to
which all peoples willingly surrender the
right and the power to settle their in
ternational differences, an organization
which In tho nature Of things will be a
g%uarantor Of things as they are, of tho
map made at Versailles. Of the surren-
ders made by Germany-will Germany,
bleeding from the wounds of settlement,
made In accordance with justice, to be
sure, be a willing member Of any such
association, or surrender, save for the
time and language alone, her freedom
Of Scponf VIII she not do as Prussia
did Ssser Tilsit--submit but circumvent?
More than this, II, for example, GER
tain nations In the number OF those as
ISOLATED with Germany 90 to Versailles
with the view that seeking %reparation
and restitution must be the chief Oh.
that reparation and restitution are less
important than the creation OF a real
league Of nations, will there not be a
split. between the victors In this war,
and will not the Germans be able to
make use OF this split, naturally allying
themselves with those who seek to pros
mote the league OF nations rather than
the claims OF restitution and reparation?
And II such a divergence OF detectives
occurs, 1t seems to me inevitable that
the United states, which has suffered
no material injury Of consequences and
Is therefore least concerned for itself
with any claim for restitution or repara-
ton, will be most surely to drift toward
a community of action with the Ger
mans In the fu~rtherance Of the scheme
for a league OF nations at the sacrifice
OF tho claims for reparation to Britain,
FRANCE and Italy, as well as Belgium
and Serbia,
The Germans, moreover, whatever de-
gree Of order they may succeed In es-
tabllshlng at home are bound, as their
course has already indicated, to come to
Versailles with ar insistent demand for
generous terms inorder that their coun
try may not sink INTO the Russian state
OF anarchy as a consequence OF the u
dens imposed upon II, The plea may
be sham or sincere, but In either cass
IL will be effective and will make a
measure OF impression. AND 1t will be
directed adroitly at all the secialistic
and anarchistic elements in the allied
countries.
May Face Chaos.
The result may easily be chaos at
Versailles, an extension OF the sessions
through weeks and months, to the utter
decentralization Of the business OF the
world and the perpetuation OF condi-
tons out Of which anarchy may grow,
Such delay, too, would be, to the Ger
man interest, for II must be a German
policy to postpone to the last possible
moment any passing of sentences upon
her which viii compel her to make pay