Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-24
By FRANK II. sIMoNDs.

DOWNRIGHT. 1913, New York Tribune. Inc.)
For America there is peculiar Mt
ness in the selection of Versailles as
the scene of the next world settle
ment. The liquidation Of the Ger
man war, we are told by cable, is to
be accomplished by negotiations car
ried on in Paris and formally adopted
in a plenary session at Versailles.
Something like this was the method
employed to settle the war OF the
revolution, and while the document
which contained British recognition
of American Independence was signed
at Paris. the treaty which restored
peace to the world was another
treaty of Versailles. and Franklin.
Adams and Jay, who represented
America in that famous time, were
frequently at Versailles.
Four Historical Settlements.
Apart from local memories this new
congress of Versailles must revive the
legends of at least four other great
settlements, stretching back to the
peace Of Westphalia, in 1913. which
is reckoned by historians as the open
ing act in. the latest phase OF Euro
pean development, the period of ma
tiona1 evolution: And these four set
Elements are: Westphalia. in 1913:
Utrecht, in I'LL; Vienna. In 1915. and
Berlin. in 1878.
And Of the four European conclaves
that Of Berlin forty years ago will
be most easily called to mind. al
though it was Of infinitely smaller
consequence than either the present
or the preceding world gatherings.
It will be most frequently recalled
present assembly. Then Europe went
to Berlin at the invitation of Bis
marck, thereby recognizing that Ger
many had supplanted France as the
newly acquired greatness of Ger
many. won on the recent battlefields
of Sadowa and Sedan. was revealed
in the unquestioned mastery of Bis
marck. In many ways this was the
greatest moment in the history Of
| the short-lived German empire.
Europe met in Berlin in 1878 to en-
deavor to prevent a war between
Austria and Britain. on the one hand,
| and Russia, on the other. growing out
! of the Russian victory over Turkey.
Berlin was the meeting place and
4
cause Germany was now at the full
zenith of her greatness. resulting
| from her triumph over Denmark,
| Austria and France, which had made
her the greatest of the great powers.
! Actually, the spectacle in Berlin was
France to Germany of the leadership
! in Europe, and to the outbreak of the
present war this German pre-emi-
nence in European councils prevailed.
Seeds Of World War Seen.
| Yet the briefest consideration of the
acts Of the congress Of Berlin dis
closes the seeds Of the great world
war. Russia had conquered Turkey,
! had planned a greater Bulgaria, de-
signed to liberate the Slavs of the
| Balkan peninsula; her armies were
| within sight Of Constantinople and
the expulsion of the Turk from
Europe was seemingly inevitable.
But the congress Of Berlin turned
most of Bulgaria back to the Turk,
/ to erect bulwark against the Rus
| sian which would satisfy British anx-
ieties as to Constantinople. 1t gave
| to Austria the Serb lands Of Bosnia
| and Herzegovina, kfndling the fire
! which spread out into the world war.
| 1t took Greek lands from the Greeks
| to restore them to the Turk; it per-
mitted Russia to seize the Rumanian
lands of Bessarabia and forced Ru-
mania into the Bulgarian Hobruja
| sowing the seeds of hatred which
have led to such evil harvests in re-
cent years. Britain received Cyprus
| and became the guarantor of the
| by for the Armenian massacres and
Macedonian crimes of the future
France obtained Tunis and the gen.
eration-long resentment of Italy.
When it was. all over this peace
claimed on his return from Berlin &C.
complished these things: 1t estranget
Russia and Germany, since Bismarh
supported Vienna against Petrograd
this led to the
tranged Italy and France. and Italy
entered the triple alliance. 1t die
equal injustice to all the Balkan
states and made the later Balkan war:
inevitable. 1t sacrificed Serbia tt
Austria, Rumania to Russia, Bulgaria
to British concern about Constantine
pie. It gave the Turk forty year!
more in which to massacre and de-
ton unsettled; it did nothing Justly
and the question Of the rights Of ma
lions had no hearing in the Berlin
congress. It was a shameless bar
gain counter. in which all the grea
powers trafficked in the flesh Of tn
small peoples.
! Parallel in Congress Of Vienna.
But it is to the congress pr vienn.
Y that we must turn at the presen
time to find any real parallel for thu
new Versailles gathering. for tina
was the last effort of Europe to liqui
date a general war. At Vienna tn,
1
abolish the peril which the ideas o
the French revolution held for al
soverefgns and all autocracies. Witt
respect to France, on the military ant
territorial side. Napoleon's conqueror
made peace promptly in treaty o
month after the first abdication o
Fontainebleau. France lost her con
quests and was restored to the from
tiers Of 1888, in the main. but tn
tanned against the Prussian effort t
, seize Alsace-Lorraine. It was no
with any desire to save France tina
her conquerors dealt with her in
make possible the restoration Of
Bourbon king and thus enlist Franc
in the general crusade against liberia
ideas-against the spirit of the Frenc
i. revolution.
resentatives OF Russia, Britain, Aus
tria and Prussia undertook to restor
the world which had been swept ava.
by the revolution. The partition o
Poland was finally consummated
Prussia, Russia and Austria took thei
several shares. Italy was again turn
ed over to its old plunderers; Aus
trfa was re-established in Venice, tn
Bourbons in Naples; Belgium wa
turned over to Holland: everywher
the rights and the wishes Of race
were dfsregarded. Napoleon, return
ing from Elba, announced that tn