, 1918-12-19
Great Britain and Mr.. Wilson
Likely to Agree as to the
Freedom of Seas"
ENGLAND'S POSITION STATED
Allies viii Demand That Germany Pay
Their War Bill of $3.50, ooo, 10000 o
Conditions in Land Of Huns
Still Are chaotic-Presi-
dent Reaches
France.
BY EDWARD W. PIckARp.

There are indications in the dis
patches from Europe that the biggest
problems of the peace conference may
be solved more easily and amicably
than had been feared. The greatest
of these, possibly, is the matter of the
freedom of the seas" The Germans
and certain others had been hoping
that this rather nebulous question
would be the cause of trouble be-
tween America and Great Britain, and
there is no doubt that the British
have bee preparing to contend firmly
that they must not give up the weapon
that really saved the world from the
Huns and that is so necessary to the
safety of their widespread empire.
Their public men, from Lloyd George
down, all have said this frankly with
put waiting for President Wilson to
define publicly just what he means by
the phrase freedom of the seas"
London now processes to have assur-
ance that the differences between Mr..
Wilson and the British in this matter
will not be difficult of adjustment.
Sir Frederick e. Smith, attorney
general, expressed succinctly Britain's
attitude when he said 81 am not
sure that Great Britain will not have
to Jay to the allies at the peace con-
ference: we shall be quite satisfied
with such a definition of freedom of
the seas as will enable the British
navy in the unfortunate event of fu-
ture wars to do exactly what the Brit
ism navy, aided by the American navy,
has been doing for the last eighteen
months"
The premier himself, addressing a
meeting at Bristol. said emphatically:
wherever the request comes from,
we are not going to give up the pro-
lection of the navy, so far as Great
Britain is concerned"
la
1t is to be regretted that some voices
are being raised In England as well as
In America In favor of a soft peace"
for fear the German people will be
resentfuli On this question Lloyd
George again may be quoted. Reiter-
ating his declaration that Germany
should pay to the utmost limit of her
capacity, he said the war bill of the
allies against the Huns is $120.000,-
100000. The whole wealth of Ger
many, as estimated before the war,
would fall short of this sum by be-
tween twenty and ~forty-ive billions.
However, the premier says the allies
propose to exact the entire cost of
the war from Germany. that 1t can be
exacted in such a way that 1t will do
no more harm to the country that re-
ceives Il than to the country that pay
", and that the demands Of the al
lies must come in front of the German
national war debt. A British commits
sion already has reported on Ger
many's capacity to pay.
Belgium, France and the other vic
torious nations of Europe, 1t may be
assumed, are no less determined than
Ia Great Britain to compel Germany
to stand the full cost of the fearful
conflict she started. 1t is likely France
will occupy the German lands west of
the Rhine until payment has been
made.
Belgium probably will come out of
the war greater in territory than when
she went In. She intends to ask the
restoration of the parts of the prov
inces of Limburg and Luxembourg
which went to Germany and Holland
by the international treaty Of 1880,
and also to ask that the Dutch return
the land which includes the lower
Scheldt.