The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-12-10
THE THoRNY ROAD 10 PEACE.

The peace ardently desired Dy the world Is
not to be 50 easily and 50 quickly atainabe OPP
timists believe. Instead of looking at the situation
squarey it is, and taking into account the extreme
probability of changes lghtheared Opmsts confidently
expect an end of turmoil and the beginning Of
peace at the moment the peace commissioners sign the
general act at Versailles
But peace is matter of labor and eompusOn as war
lis, and not mere hypnotic state Of mind After the
allied nations have agreed upon the peace terms these
terms must be put into effect That means time, work,
and perhaps the Of force The defeated nations must
all be compelled to deliver the goods demanded they must
execute all terms relating to rehabilitation disarmament
and destruction or conversion of factories Their
supplies of raw materials, far the allies may
mandeer them must be placed under system of super
vision The cash indemnities which the allies will exact
must be paid and to the payments the allies must
hold enemy territory as security The territories thus
held be governed and systems Of taxation must be
put in force.
The territories lately known as the German empire,
the Austro Hungarian empire, Bulgaria and Turkey
now without responsible governments If the allies were
agree upon the simplest kind Of peace terms the
ment itself would be of effect would not be self
executing In the absence of responsible governments
in the enemy countries the allies will either be compelled
to wait until governments develop which can be safely
dealt with, or occupy the territories and govern them
under military rule pending the organization of civil
government Since waiting for the emergenca of orderly
government in distracted countries is costly and dan
gerous procedure the allies will probably choose the
second alternative and take possession Of the enemy
rtories American troops have already been sent for.
ward ahead of schedule to occupy Coblenz account
of the danger of outbreaks and destruction of property
The upheaval in Germany may require occupation OF
all the large cities before the torch and bomb applied
The allies keenly alive to the fact that Germany
tangible and taxable property belongs to them security
for the debt which Germany has incurred The allies and
the United States cannot afford to stand idle and
German mObs destroy property which morally belongs
to Belgium, France, Serbia and the rest.
Therefore there is good reason for keeping intact
for the present the allied and American armies They
may be badly needed throughout the great extent Of
enemy territories and in Russia The short-sghted at
titude of individuals in allied countries, so far as
Russia is concerned is inexpcabe. They do not take
into account the fact that peace with Germany cannot
be made safe and satisfactory there is safe and
sane Russia. If the Germans to be made to comply
with the just demands of the world they must &c to
bwork without delay and work INCREASINGLY to raise the
amount Of taxation required Two or three billions OF
dollars year must be paid by the Germans at the least
and most generous calculation. If Russia should become
savage and irresponsible waste of anarchy the Ger
mans will either be robbed compelled to defend them
selves In other words boshevsm Russia constitutes
Ia huge and maign obstacle against the execution OF
peace in Germany the lines desired by the allies 1t is
the interest to the allies to send any military force
which may be necessary to scatter the boshevik and
assist the people of Russia to establish free and respon
sble government, The sending of an allied army tc
Russia would be expensive but not so expensive as tho
failure to fasten and retributve peace upon
Germany.
Space forbds than mere reference to the situa
ton in Austria Hungary Bulgaria and Turkey where al
is chaos and where the allied nations themselves mus
work out the bases of peace Wherever there
is opposition to the viii of the allies in working out th;
peace, force will have to be used 1t should be useC
without any hesitation whatever such use would be
nothing than the stamping out of the embers Of
the recent world confagration.-W Washington Post
The letters from different sections of Greene county