Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-12
AMERICA TURNING
THOUGHTS TOWARD
AFTER-WAR ISSUES
With Enemy Shattered, U. S.
and Allies Take Up Work
of Reconstruction.
PEACE CONFERENCE MAY
1 HAVE TO BE POSTPONED
Army and Navy Have Big Tasks.
Drafts Canceled-War Work and
Railroad Control Issues.

Railroad control issues.
America today turned toward the
ways of peace.
With the military strength of the
central powers shattered and hostil-
ities ceased under arms of surrender
that preclude a renewal of the great
struggle, the United States, with the
associated governments, today took
up the problems of reconstruction.
Immediately ahead, however, diplo-
matte Washington saw the peace con-
ference-the worlds court of justice
before which Germany. as the chief
criminal. with Austria, Turkey and
Bulgaria, will stand as prisoners at
the bar.
May Postpone Peace Conference.
When or where the final peace ne
gotiations will be held officials would
not conjecture. Thirty days is the
time allowed under the armistice
terms for assembling of the peace
congress. The armistice, however,
Includes a provision for it's extension.
The great interests involved, the
many governments and nationalities
concerned and the difficulties to be
met in converting such a conference
in short time may cause an extern
sion Of the thirty-day limit.
1t was regarded as likely that the
peace conference will be similar to
the meeting at Versailles, where the
armistice terms were formulated. The
will decide upon terms and then the
defeated be permitted to enter pleas
tor modification.
The military looked today to the
breaking up and return to civilian life
of the great army mobilized in the
past nineteen months. Further in
crease of the military forces was
checked yesterday through cancella-
ton of all outstanding. draft calls.
e. S. to Do Police Duty in Europe.
The return home of the nearly two
and quarter million men overseas
and the mastering out .ofs the million
and half troops in camps in this
country will not come Immediately.
1ast, probably will be called upon to
do much Of the police and guard duty
In France and Belgium. Further
events In Russia are uncertain, and
the small force there may have to be
augmented Transport facilities are
more or less limited.
Embarkation of additional units will
rot stop Immediately, Secretary Baker
has said, although the troops to be
sent overseas largely will be medical
and similar units.
Great Tasks for Navy.
For the Navy also great tasks lie
ahead. The sea must be swept clear
of mines. Occupation of the Ger
man naval base of Helgoland may
be necessary as a result of the revo-
tuition in the German grand fleet
Until peace finally is concluded there
win be patrol work to do
The newly constructed and rapidly
increasing merchant marine must
rot only bring tie men home from
France. but carry to France and
Belgium. devastated by the war. to
lands of southern Europe, long un-
productive through lack of man
power. and even to the enemy ma
means of keeping alive the war
weakened populations. Food Ad-
ministrator Hoover and Chairman
Hurley of the shipping board soon
will leave to survey the situation
The American people from their
plenty will be called upon to feed
Europe.
Money will be needed to bring
troops home from France and allow
completion of the necessary projects
nnaer way. Another loan probably
VIII have to be foated- The great
revenut bill. placing upon the Ameri-
can people taxes amounting to more
than $4,000. 100000, must be passed
by Congress.
Peace Brings New Problems.
Industrailly. the change from wa,
TO peace will create as many problem.
as the change from peace to war
War-contract plants must be convert
ed to make the commodities of peace
Workers engaged in such plants mus
wage standards. changed by the war
must be readjusted. The position O.
women in industry must be deter
mined.
The War Industries Board, the Wa
Labor Board and other governments
agencies must be continued or substi
tutes be created. in the opinion of of
ficials, for the solution of these prob
lema- The returned soldier must hav.
work and a home. This is a recon
stFuction question that Congress will
be called upon to consider Other new
legislation making possible the re
turn to peace-time basis will com,
before Congress
Railroad Control an Issue.
Government control of the railroads
while insured for twenty-one month
longer, must be decided as to perma
nency or abandonment, as well as th
control of the telegraph and tele
phone systems. Supervision of foo,
and fuel distribution and the fixing O
prices for necessary commodities ar
other problems of reconstruction.
with the war behind and peac
ahead, government officials TODAY Il
nowfse discounted the tasks of the fu
ture. The great problems of war mus