The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-12-07
President Wilson to Sail Tuesday
for Peace Conference
In Paris.
WHOLE WORLD IN TURMOIL
Greatest Armed Struggle Of History
Has Shaken Whole Structure OF
civIilxatlon--Change, Disorder
and Fighting, Features
Of European Situation.
BY EDWARD w. plckARp.


Unless the unexpected happens
which seems to be the rule rather than
the exception nowadays-President
Wilson win sail for the peace confer.
ence in Paris Tuesday on the George
Washington, Immediately after deliv-
ering his message to congress, which
reassembles Monday. Friday night Pres
ident Wilson announced the appoint
ment Of the peace commission. He
names himself ais member and viii
a4at q. as 6 chairman during l,ls stag af aix.
weeks or more In Paris. Returning, he
win be replaced by Secretary Of War
Baker; Secretary Of State Lansing win
succeed him as chairman. Other mem
bers Of the commission are: Col. Ed
ward M. House, the presidents chief
confldant; Henry White, formerly am
bassador to Italy and France; Gen.
Tasker FL. Bliss, American military ad-
wiser of the supreme war council.
Those who criticize the president for
going must admit that his temptation
is great. Setting aside the fact that
he may feel 1t his duty to attend, 1t
Is the literal truth that such meet
ing Of sovereigns, presidents, premiers,
chancellors and high dignitaries of the
nations OF the earth the worlr has new
er seen. 1t is likely to be preceded by
grand review Of designated units of
the victorious armies and fleets. 1t
will certainly be preceded by consul.
tations of the heads Of many nations.
AS to the conference itself, It has no
parallel in history. And among these
great ones Of the earth, who will be
more prominent than Woodrow VIII.
son, president Of the United States Of
America, both by reason Of his own
activities in the world struggle and of
the unique position of his country?
Moreover, Mr.. Wilson will have an
opportunity to be modern Solomon
to the many applicants for his per-
sonal aid. These appeals have come
to him from victor and vanquished,
from new nations and old, from the in
dependent and from those seeking In
Experimentation Turkey, Luxem.
burg, Austria, Germany, Russia, Ire
iand, Poland, Roumania; from the
Jugo-Slavs and the Czecho-Slovaks.
Turkey asks for United States admin
istration Of finances, etc. Luxembourg
for protection as a small independent
state; Austria for occupation by
American troops to prevent civil war
among newly formed nations, and so
on. Each request presents different
problem.
On the other hand, the peace con.
ference faces the tremendous problem
of reconstructing world. Thrown
without warning into the greatest
armed struggle Of all time, the nations
emerge from the bloody conflict to
find that 1t is not only the lands that
have been trampled under foot that
must be reconstructed, but that the
whole structure of modern civilization
has been shaken. Ancient institutions
and time-honored traditions are over
thrown. Mankind finds itself among
civic and economic ruins. 1t will be
too much to expect Of human nature
to count on this peace conference be.
ing entirely peaceful. 1t is more like
ly to be rough-and-tumble affair.
There are many possibilities of trou-
Bile. Suppose our allies point out that
Americas traditional policy has been
one of detachment from European af-
fairs and that for two years and half
she observed neutrality and then sug-
gest that she return to her detachment
and allow the nations most intimately
concerned to arrange a settlement.
Suppose the fundamental principles OF
| justice and right, given worldwide
publicity as the things for which
America was fighting and unofficially