The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-08
DANZIG TREATY SEEN
AS MORAL VICTORY
Germans Forced Foch to Ne
gOtiate Over Article Gov
cred by Armistice.
BAD PRECEDENT FORMED
Haggling Over Food Payment
Indication Of Obstinacy at
the Peace Table.
By q. 8. ADA NJ.
7 ~ u. y. NDNM.
Special Caoie Despdfch to Tnr sus from the
| London Times Ssrptcs

Special Cable Despafch to THr sus from the
London Times Service.
copvrt0hf. 1919: all rights reserved
PARIS, April I've have the promise
of peace within a fortnight and again
that hope b given the appearance Of
reality by the facts. All the secretaries
Of the various peace delegations are al
most hidden beneath masses of reports
and minutes of conversations which have
taken place between the innumerable
committees during the last week. The
mills OF peace are grinding slowly and
producing sn immense amount Of recon-
mendation and reports and draft clauses
for insertion in the peace treaty. The
mill Is working and there are certain
physiological processes which also are
producing their result.
While Marshal Foch undoubtedlv was
in favor of the despatch to Gen. Hal
| lers troops to Poland by rail rather
than by sea. II cannot be said the Allies
In their meeting at Spa with the enemy
ENJOYS have done very much TO Increase
their prestige or remind the Germans
OF the authority which, II they don't
possess II now, at any rate they did
possess when the armistice was
signed. Gen Hsller's divisions are to
reach Poland by rail and sea, and al
though the principle has been admitted
that the Allies have right to land
them in Danzig, il Is quite clear that
In practice the Allies. will refrain as
far as possible from using Danxig as q
port OF debarkation and that from the
purely moral point of view the Germans
have gained their point.
Foch's DimcuIt Position.
More than one writer in the French
press points out the moral dangers
which are likely to arise from TIM fur
Their weakening in the allied attitude
toward the enemy. There can be no
question whatever that Marshal Foch
| would have preferred infinitely to
maintain the attitude of silence in which
has lain his strength in dealing with the
enemy. Instead OF that he has been for
the first time forced to almost negoti-
| ate with the Germans on a point to which
they agreed in the original armistice
conditions.
This meeting with regard to Danzig
forms bad precedent for the final peace
| discussions No doubt tactically the
| Germans are almost bound. as the, date
| of the Versailles meeting grows nearer.
| to increase their opposition and become
| more obstinate and stifrnecked.
That policy is indicated clearly in
moro than one direction. Quite apart
| from perusal Of the German press
| the attitude OF the Germans at Spa and
villette shows how far the enemy is
| counting upon making the Versailles
treaty another Brest-Litovsk. Indeed
anyone who wants to appreciate the
| enemy frame Of mind at the present
| moment could not do better than TO pay
| short visit to viiiette, where the Ger
man and Allied financial delegates met
| for the first time last Thursday.
| OutIine of German stand.
| In the course of the discussions which
! took place DR.. Meichior. the head OF the
| German delegation. outlined clearly
| what probably will be the guiding idea
OF German policy when actual peace has
come. He painted a picture OF Germany
in which sepia was the predominant
| tone. The sense of his remarks may be
given as follows
| Germany, like the Allies, is tired OF
waiting for peace and is suffering much
| more than are the Allies from a pro-
| longed scarcity OF food and is gradually
reaching the frame OF mind OF a COM
| plete bankrupt and seeks despair as the
| only counsellor. There are two condi-
! lions. according to this German pic
| ture OF Germany. which are responsible
| for the present spirit OF the German
| people. First there is a question of food
That is being srappled with to a GER
| tain extent already, and more might
in the German view be done in this d.
| rectiop.
The second fact which Germans seem
! rather more anxious to emphasize is OF
the political nature. DR.. Melchior seems
to be at some pains to point out that
any solution of the Danzig question
| which would seem to prejudice the ulti
mate fate OF that seaport would cause
a really dangerous evaporation of tn,
German people and loading of a further
| weakening OF the already negligihl,
| Weimar Government, and ultimately
perhaps. TO upsetting that Government
| and to the Allies being faced by the ne
cessity OF concluding peace which
| would bear upon 1t German signator
which would only be representative Of
| Germany for few weeks. In other
words, there would be another Rrest
Litovsk added to the already long cata.
logue OF diplomatic failures.
Also the Germans evidently are quit,
alive to the efficiency OF Bolshevism a!
| a DOGGY with which 10 scare the allied
| delegates. AT Villette they had pointed
|