The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-11-30

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In addition, we are going to compel
i, Germany to pay anywhere from $10,-
! 900, 900, 900 to $40 600, 900 as repa-
| ration for wanton injuries done in
! defiance of the accepted rules Of war.
This Is one number on the pro-
gram. But in addition. we. with the
Germans. are to frame a new inter
! national system, League of Nations
which is to regulate all international
| relations in the future, serve as a
Superstate, with police power and
with many other powers over the
whole body of nations, such as have
heretofore been exercised only by
| the central government within sepa-
rate states. And unless Germany is
a willing and sincere partner in the
enterprise the League Of Nations will
/ be a failure, for its success must
rest upon its universally. With Ger
many out, it is no more than a per-
petuation Of the existing alliance
against Germany. Moreover, may
easily, if the Reds gain control, join
hands with the Russian Reds, and
then we shall have the old situation
! Of rival alliances once more.
Now, much Of this is familiar
ground. There is nothing new about
| the League of Nations, and after a
/ long and eXhaMsting general war
men have before sought some insur-
ance through international comolna-
| ton. Thus when Napoleon was de-
| feated the sovereigns Of Europe com
hined in a, Holy Alliance They unit
| ed against what they conceived to
| be the peril to peace of their time,
namely, republican ideas. They In
| Guided France in the alliance be-
cause they were able to place one OF
| themselves, a duly authenticated
| king, upon the French throne.
| But in facing the same difficulty
| that must now be faced again the
! conquerors of Napoleon were far
more logical than the victors OF the
present hour. They desired to pre-
Revolution with it's twenty odd
! wears of consequent war. But they
| realized this would be impossible. il
they undertook to write a treaty
which imposed upon France any
such burdens as would awaken. per:
manent resentment in the minds OF
/ the French people. Therefore they
sacrificed their claims against France
: in the main, giving the French peo-
pie almost complete immunity from
punishment as a bride to win them
| to the new order
Actually, the situation was this:
For more than twenty years French
armies had overrun Europe, making
/! war in foreign countries, enlisting
the. subjects, requisitioning the
! funds. The revolution. and Napo-
| leon after it, had made war at the
| expense of the enemy. and France
was free from debt at the hour when
the Emperor abdicated. Here was
clear warrant for indemnities, a
clear chance for sretributive justice,
but the conquerors deliberately put
it aside They deprived France OF
her conquests, they restricted her
practically to the limits of 1883, but
there they left it, and the additional
burdens placed upon the nation aft
er Napoleon had returned and re-
gained power, only to fall at Water
| loo, were. in fact, insignificant
The result was that France for the
moment accepted Louis XVIII and
the Bourbons. No permanent resent
ment was engendered against the
conquerors of Napoleon as a result
OF the treaty of peace. In due course
of time France. upset the Bourbons,
then the BREAKFASTS, returned. to the
Bonapartes and then exiled Napoleon
III, but the only notifications OF the
territorial arrangements of the Ma
poleonic settlement, so far as France
was concerned, were the acquisition
of Savoy and Nice by vote of the in
/ habitants and the loss of Alsace-
Lorraine by conquest. The Holy
Alliance was a failure because it was
an effort to turn back the tide of hui
man progress, but the treaty lis
founders framed with France stood
the test of time.
Now It would be conceivable that
! should the victors of the present war
follow the example of those of a CEN
fury before, remit to Germany their
just claims for indemnities, content
themselves with taking for France
Alsace- Lorraine and distributing
German colonies as they chose, they
might successfully establish some
orderly regime in Germany and, in
negotiating with it, formulate a
constitution of a League of Nations.
Remember, i am not for a single
moment suggesting this as a right,
just or proper course. On the con-
trary, it would, in my judgment, be
singularly inequitabIe and intolera-
/, BILE. But if the League of Nations is
the chief concern of the Peace Con-
gress this would offer a way, and
think the only conceivable way, of
bringing Germany into it.
If, by contrast, we proceed to
| frame our demands and impose them
Schleswig, Prussian Poland, with
Danzig, the German colonies and an
indemnity of ten to twenty billions,
| in what spirit will the German peo-
4 pie be with respect to%a League of
/ Nations. organized by their enemies
who have just imposed upon them
this terrific sentence? And granting
that Germany succeeds in establish
! ing some form of government which
sends duly authorized delegates to
1 Versailles, will that government be
able to obtain ratification of its
| treaty from the German people. oil
4 will it and the treaty both be repu-
i dated?
This. to my mind. is the fatal d.
i JENNA which grows out OF the com
bination of two wholly dissimilal
| detectives at Versailles. 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 conviiI-
| sion which had shaken Europe, not
/ for fifty-two months, but for twenty
two years. They solved it bv sepa.
ting the two detectives. The made
prompt peace with France in the
Treaty Of Paris. and in this treaty
/ they deliberately surrendered their
own material claims against France
that France might NOT be left I'm q
ment which would make a new war
state Of sullen and enduring resent
almost inevitable.
Having done this. they went tt
/ Vienna and there, in a real congress
undertook the reorganization Of Eu-
rope and Of the international rela.
tons of the world. which. was ex.
pressed in the Treaty of Vienna
fortified by subsequent agreernen
made between kings. At Yienns
France appeared as an equal, and
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