Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-20
VITAL TO PREPARE
WORLD FOR PEACE
Recent Events Emphasize
Americas Unpreparedness
for After-War Problems.
WARNING NOTE SOUNDED
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

many, the United States government
more war. Not until a cessation of hos
tilities is actually ordered, not by vague
rumors from news agencies of neutral
countries of official announcements from
Germany, but by agreement of the al
lied governments will it be safe for the
thoughts of our people to be turned
from policies of unselfish pooling in the
national interest to policies anew of
free competition in private interest
But the events of the last fortnight
have emphasized more than dozens of
exhortations heretofore how unready
the American people are for peace.
Just as the outbreak of war found a
peaceful people unready for a warlike
task, so today may a warlike people
be described as apathetic toward the
tasks of reconstruction and a healing
peace. There is due appreciation of
that situation in government circles
here, and while no one here would for
n moment seelo to reduce the enthu-
siasm of the populace for military
triumph, and the fulfllment of Ameri-
can war aims. it is the lack of compre-
hension of just what those war aims
prompts the suggestion for a better
understanding of what America really
wants out of this war.
"Peace Preparedness" Urged.
Lord Northcliffe has sent broad
cast an editorial sounding a note of
warning against unpreparedneSS for
reace and urges an allied diplomatic
council similar to the allied war
council now sitting in Versailles. OF
the American attitude toward that
suggestion more shall be said later.
Here is the point emphasized by the
London Times:
1.-The actual business of building up
peace may come upon us as suddenly
as the task of waging war. We were
not prepared for war. 1t took
US more than three years to repair
these disadvantages 1t will always
be a source of pride to us that Eng
land, which alone could carry through
the principle of a united command,
subordinated to it every personal
pride;| which in any other crisis
might have been legitimate, to the
common cause.
DO not these same principles apply
to the outbreaks of peace? There is
all the more reason why the principle
OF united front should be applied be-
times in the political sphere, as it was
belatedly to the field of military and
naval operations
President Wilson Quoted.
Now, if the above language is COM
pared with paragraph of President
Wilson's last speech, in New York on
September 81. it might be thought that
already progress is being made toward
the achievement of diplomatic unity.
The President said on that occasion:
Unity of purpose and of counsel
are as lmperatively necessary in this
war as was unity of command on the
battlefield, and with perfect unity of
purpose and counsel will come as
surance of complete victory. 1t can
be had in no other way. Peace
arlves can be effectively neutralized
ana sllenced only by showing that
every victory of the nations asso-
ciated against Germany brings the
nations nearer the sort of peace
which will bring security and reas-
surance to all peoples and make the
recurrence of another such struggle
OF pitiless force and bloodshed for
ever impossible and that nothing else
can" ~1So
.BeIng agreed upon the principle of
diplomatic unity. the chief question
is What shall be the method of OBJ
tanning the same? Lord Northcliffe's
idea of a diplomatic council has been
espoused by Lord Cecil and other
British statesmen, but finds very little
approval here. There is an aversion
here to the discussion in secret coun-
Gil OF political matters. just as there
is an enthusiasm in favor of the dis
cussion in secret of military matters.
Critics Attitude Surprising.
Already there is surprise here at the
attitude in America of certain critics of
the Presidents original fourteen peace
terms. Notwithstanding that those
terms received nationa-wide editorial
approval at the time they were laid
down. and Notwithstanding that Pre-
mier Lloyd George and Premier Glenn
enceau announced publicly their ad-
herence to the Presidents position,
modification of those terms is being
urged in some quarters. True enough,
there will have to be modification due
to changing circumstances, as for in
stance the obligation to protect the
aspirations of the Czecho-Slovaks. but
on the fundamental principles, espe-
cially those that apply to pre-war diff
ficultieS and the essentials of Justice
that must underly a league of nations.
there will be the firmest kind Of ad-
hesion to them by the President of the
United States.
AS for a diplomatic war council,
the impracticability of such a scheme
is emphasized in executive quarters,
not so much because of any dislike
of the purpose, but because of the
inconsistency Of it with American in
situations. If the United States had
a remier and cabinet. responsibility
it might be different, but the Presi-
dent is both the premier and the cab
met under our system of govern
ment, his advisers being selected by
him, as a rule, outside the member
ship of the majority party in the
national legislature.
Open Diplomacy Preferred Here.
So far as the United States govern
ment is concerned, it is anxious for
unity of counsel and diplomacy, but
it believes the object can be better
obtained by open diplomacy than by
secret discussions. In order to make
possible the agreement of the allied
governments on the fundamentals of
peace, the view prevails here that
our ambassadors and ministers may
carry on conversations and exchanges
of views leading eventually to official
Reading, who has the confidence of
the American government, is away
and the new American ambassador to
Great Britain, John W. Davis, has not
yet taken hold of his job.
1t may be too early to predict the
methods which will be adopted by the
United States when the hour for peace
discussion on details does arrive, but
the principle will be one of open and
frank dealing with the general public
in every vital step, SO that the secret
maneuvers attending the Congress of
Vienna in 1915, When the victors gath
cred to divide the spoils, may be sub
stituted by open maneuvers, which have
Of every country and internationc!
morality ITSELF