The Washington herald., 1918-11-10
by JOHN LLOYD sALpERsroN.

ous great allied powers in Europe
look at the Approaching peace. AZ
the present moment the diplomatic
world. is In state OF confuii ion un-
equalled since the historic last week
In July. 1914, and only one fact
energies from the welter of opinion,
that Germany must surrender un-
conditionally. Even IL she does SO
some weeks OF debate and discussion
must elapse before the statesmen OF
civilization meet around the green
table. and the terms desired by the
victorious allies are publicly stated
to the world.
There are some points upon which
we are all happily united. Complete
indemnification to Belgium for all
the material loss she has suffered.
and the rebuilding OF Northern
France and Serbia and the devas-
tated districts OF Italy by the enemy,
will be insisted upon. The concession
of Alsace-Lorraine TO France. and
the possession by Italy of Trentino
and the predominantly Italian dis
tricts at least up TO the line Of the
Isonzo, will not be disputed The
creation OF an independent Poland.
a free Bohemia, and the asgrs ndizlng
of Serbia TO include the Jugo-Slav
people Of Austria Hungary in one
great state, are among the funda-
mentals to which all the allied pow
ers. including even Italy in the last
case mentioned. are now pledged.
II can do no harm. il can do only
good. TO set down frankly what the
different nations feel about the war. !
believe ] am In a position TO speAs
for the predominant opinion here. ~
France and in Italy, as the result OF
many recent conversations with e1'
ponents of the policies Of these coun-
tries in a position 20 know the official
attitudes now prevailing.
sympathy with American View.
There exists in England and to
perhaps lesser extent in France an0
Italy, a sympathetic understanding o,
the position of the United States as
voiced by President Wilson. II is ap'
-preciated that by such phrases as
freedom of the seas" the President
is voicing American determination
that the world asa league ef -t1es
nations shall be so organized as 70
remove from its bosom the seeds o'
future conflict The league Of ma
lions AS all lutdl mas
progress in the past few months ir
this country, but there are doubts
and fears as to the political working
out of the proposals which America is
expected to make at the peace table
nous consent car be obtained to any
formal and definite treaty.
In setting down specific points OF
-
statesman at present, / do not infer
that they, too, are no seekers after
the ideal. but ii is natural tnst geo
graphical and other reasons shoulc
impel them to lay greater stress CT
material things and less on inmate
rial than can be the case anlons
Americans.
To take Great Britain first. Ar
island lives by the sea and the shielc
of England is her navy. 1t is there
fore natural that in any discussion
Of the league OF nations an interns
tional police force. and the freedom
OF the seas" il the latter phrase II
thought to mean curtaiIing in any way
the blockade rights exercised by Eng
land in this war. British statesmen ash
anxiously for precise definitions o.
what is proposed. There are eminen
men here. like Viscount Grey. WHIT
are quite willing to go as far as Mr.
Wilson has indicated in assigning
supernstional authority to the league
but Americans would be gravely mis-
taken to assume that at this stag
sucn a policy would command any
thing like universal acceptance.
Would Outlaw Submarines.
Britain is determined that the sub
marine menace shall never be revived
and she does not anticipate any op
position from America to the deman'
she will probably make not only ina
the submarines now possessed by Ger
many shall be given up but that tn
submarine shall be outlswed from SCI
warfare of the future.
Almost exactly two-thirds OF IN
merchant shipping sunk during TN
past four and a half years has ho"i
the Union Jack. and nearly ever!
FngIishman insists that such German
tonnage as still turks safely in hsr
bor shall be divided pro rata anon,
the allies in the proportion IN whiCi
theN. have lost ships. 1t is possol'
that proposal to compel the Ger
mans TO dismantle and hand over thel
bieh seas feet may also be put for
ward. but this is no longer matte
NJ such Importance as II seemed a rev
wears ago. because of the NasIi.
Greater relative strength of the Britisi
nov,, as compared to the German nov
,hon in 1914 and Of the paramount I'm
nortance now attached to suomarln
warfare. .,,-
Coming to territorial questions
,h.re is no desire felt here by I'M
majority of Englishmen TO enlarge TN
british Empire for imperial reasons
hui confidence is expressed that BTU
sin,s allies will not object to the an
roxotIon or occupation under torrl
=. ,ovarnnent in which British innu
.nce would be predominant OF Meso
nnto mia or to the constitution OF RAJ
aetine Of a Jewish state unoer III
.uzerainty Of the British crown
A. for the German colonies, IN
..ronrest possible statements nav
hasn made both by Australia ana o.
9Th Africa, who have 'oyall.
Seinad the mother country in thu
u,.r that they will insist TO IN
I.s, on the removal of German
nower from their parts of the Z sI"oe
kustrslia. more than me Euslish
n,an has told me, would leave tn
.,,nire rather than see Germany
re-esta blished in the Pn"trc 'Slanas
and am also assured that the 10y
aIty of South Africa could not o
depended upon were Britain to at
tempt to re-establish the German
on their borders
Not only does the question
submarine bases enter into the con
sideration of the future of Gsrinal
West Africa. but all white sout
Africa fears. after the eSperienc
of this war. that Germany wou
organize arm hordes of black saw
ages armed with machine guns un
s. carpan of5cers GerTlau Eas