The sun., 1919-04-08
PREMIER'S SHIFTS
ATTACKED BY STEED
Editor Of London "Times'
Criticizes Lloyd George for
New Peace Views.
FRENCH DIsAPPROvE, TOO
Point Made That Total Liza
bility Of Germany Should
Be Assessed.
NJ II. wICKHAM sTEED.

NJ II. wICKHAM sTEED.
Editor OF the London "Times."
Special Gable Despatch to TIE sus from fAs
London ffmss Service.
COPYRIGHT. 1919; oil rtohts reserved.
PARIS. April Under pressure Of
public opinion In view OF the imminent
risk OF failure Of the conference the
Council OF Four has made a desperate
effort TO reach a solution OF some OF
the problems which II had been vainiy
manipulating for weeks. In so far as
there 10 any real Improvement In the
prospects of the conference It Is be-
lieved to be attributable chiefly to the
practical statesmanship OF Col. f. NJ.
House, who, in view Of President VIII
sons indisposition, once again has
placed his savoir faire and conciliatory
temperament at the disposal OF the top
most peacemakers.
Col. House 10 one OF the few delegates
who have made good" during the con-
ference. II 10. indeed. probable peace
would have been made successfully
weeks ago but for the unfortunate NJ
outset OF the conference. When he re.
covered the Council OF Ten already had
got into bad habits and had set itself
UP az primary school at the DUAL
d'Orsay and begun to waste the time OF
, the world by receiving elementary in
struction In geography and ethnography
from the representatives of various
small nations and nationalities that had
special claims to advance.
speeded Up by House.
Little could be done to mend matters
until Premier Lloyd George returned to
England and President Wilson went TO
America. During their absence Col.
House. who never found dfYiculty in
working with his colleagues because he
is a selfsss man VITA no personal axe
TO grind, brought matters rapidly for
ward. The delay that has occurred
since the return OF Mr.. Wilson and Mfr.
Lloyd George has been due chiefly TO the
| upsetting OF the good work done during
their absence and to the abandonment
Of the sound methods in favor OF genial
improvisionk," or what Mr.. Lloyd George
once called happy thoughts"
1t is no chance that the conference
may be hauled back from the brink Of
failure to relatively safe ground. II IL
and the sslutary effect Of feeling that
allied peoples are becoming seriously
alarmed at the secret nianipulations Of
their chief Representatives.
Lloyd George Fluctuatins.
After reading Mr.. Lloyd Georges
| statement on treaty complete by
| Easter one Is constrained to ask, or
reading statements as audscious as
these, whether Mr.. Lloyd George
really thinks they will tend to In
crease the esteem. trust and affection
| OF his colleagues for him. They possibly
may recognise the excellence Of his d.
sire 10 diminish pressure which anxious
public opinion IL putting upon them:
| they may conclude that among polit-
| clans the end sometimes Justihes the
means. But they probably would he
| moro grateful were he to work with n
| single mind and In an obviously unset
Ash spirit TO settle questions In regard
to which his attitude OF late has been. to
say tho least, huctuatinE.
| In particular, they and the whole Brit
ish delegation. which he has left far too
long TO work like q mill without grist.
would be grateful TO him were he to
leave his political position at home to
| take care OF itself until a Just peace has
been made. instead OF trying to mould
| peace In accordance with his fears for
his own domestic position.
Affected By Home Politics.
| When. for instance. the electors OF
| wosleyton signifed their disapprovai OF
the coalition candidate, they probably
had not notion their votes might affec,
| Mr. Lloyd Georges view OF the proper
solution OF the Dansig question. Yet
Marshal Foch's telegram from Spa
bears unmistakable traces Of a spirit OF
deplorable weakness toward the Ger.
mans, in which, partly under tho infu'
ence OF Lloyd Georges sudden pro-Ger-
Tanisnn. his instructions were conceived
The result of the Spa negotiations Il
regarded here AZ a cap!tulation TO Ger
man clustering. While the form hsi
been saved. the substance OF an irpor'
tant term Of the armistice will prove
TO have been sacrificed unless the Allie.
insist that a part, at least, OF q Polish
division shall pass through DansiE
How do the leaders Of the conferenc,
imagine that they will be able TO compe
the Germans to accept the peace tsrmi
TO make reparstions that arc indispen
sable II, over a question like that Of
I5snzlg. they betray manifest weakness.
and pro-German procliVities?
|
In one respect Mr.. Lloyd Georges
statement TO lie Matin meets with grav,
disapproval. evan among the most liberia
sections OF French public opinion. Wher
The says Germany must pay all she can
pay. he seems to ignore the fact thai
Germany is in Justice liable for the tota
damages done by her armies and thu
question OF what she can be made to pay
comes after. not before the establish
ment of this principle. This Is not 6
question Of squeezing out Germany thu
uttermost farthing. irrespective Of heI
legal liability. II 10 a question of es
tahlishing as a fundamental principle
her total liability and then OF procuring
from her the payment OF such damages
in money and kind as careful investiga
ton show her to be capable of paying.
The danger OF assessing offhand {
round sum by payment OF which Ger,
, many might compound with her credit
ors 10 that in tho computation Of thu
sum interests and influences may com,
into play that fain would spare Germany
in order TO spare their own pockets OIL
to preserve opportunities OF ucrativ