Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-10


merely, without thought Of the inter
est or even the ordinary human rights
of their inhabitants.
The Problem of Turkey
The Turkish empire. moreover. had
fallen apart, as the Austro- Hun
garian had. 1t had never had any
real unity. It had been held together
only by pitilcss, inhuman force.
It's peoples cried aloud for release,
for succor from unspeakablc dis
tress. for all that the new day of
hope seemed at last to bring within
its dawn.
Peoples hitherto in utter darkness
were to be led out into the same light
and given at last II helping hand.
I'ndcvcloped peoples and peoples
ready for recognition. but not yet
ready to assume the full responsible
ties of statehood wcrp to be given
adequate guarantee of friendly pro-
lection, guidance and assistance.
And out Of the execution Of these
great enterprises Of liberty sprang op-
portunitieS to attempt what statesmen
had never found the way before to
do; an opportunity to throw safe
guards about the rights OF racial, ma
tiOnai and religious minorities by sol
emn international covenant: an OPP
pOrtunity to limit and regulate mill
tary establishments where they were
most likely TO be miSChipvous; an
nHf., lev. IN Of
systematic Internal tiOnalization Of
waterways and railways which were
necessary to the free economic life
of more than one nation and to clear
many of the normal channels of COM
merce Of unfair instructions of law
or of privilege; and the very well
come opportunity to secure for labor
the concerted protection Of definite
international pledges Of principle and
practice.
Grave Tasks Created by War
These were not tasks which the
conference looked about il to find and
went out of it's way to perform. They
were inseDarahlc from the settle
ments Of peace They were thrust
upon it by circumstances which could
not be overlooked The war had
created them. In all quarters of the
world old established relationships
had been disturbed or broken and
affairs were at loose ends. needing
to be mended or united again. but
could not be made what they were be-
fore. They had to be set right by
applying some uniform principle of
justice or enlightened eXppdiCnCy. And
they could not be adjusted by mere
ly prescribing in a treaty what should
be done. New states were to be set
up which could not hope to live
through their first period of weak
ness without assured support by the
great nations that had consented to
their creation and won for them their
independence.
Ill governed colonies could not be
put in the hands of governments
which were to act as trustees for their
people and not as their masters II
there was to be no common authority
among the nations to which they were
to be responsible in the execution of
their trust.
Future international conventions
with regard to the control of water
ways, with regard to Illicit traffic of
many kinds. in arms or in deadly
drugs, or with regard to the adjust
ment of many varying international
administrative arrangements, could
not be assured if the treaty were to
provide no permanent common inter
national agency, if its execution in
such matters was to be left to the
slow and uncertain process of CO.
operation by ordinary methods of
negotiation.
Difficulties OF Divided Counsel
If the Peace Conference itself was
TO be the end of co operative au-
thority and common counsel among
the governments TO which the world
was looking to enforce justice and
give pledges of an enduring settle
ment, regions like the Saar basin
could not be put under a temporary
administrative regime which did not
involve a transfer OF political SOW
ereignty and which contemplated q
final determination of its political
connections by popular vote to be
taken at distant date; no free city
like Dan2ig could be created which
was, under elaborate International
guarantees, TO accept exceptional
obligations with regard to the use
of its port and exceptional relations
with state of which it was not to
form a part: properly safeguarded
plebiScites could not be provided for
where populations were at some
future date to make choice what SOW
ercignty they would live under; no
certain and uniform method of arbi
tration could be secured for the set
tlement of anticipated difficulties of
final decision with regard TO many
matters dealt with in the treaty it
self; the long continued supervision
of the task Of reparation which Ger
many was to undertake to complete
within the next generation might en-
tirely break down: the reconsidera
ton and revision of administrative
arrangements and restrictions which
the treaty prescribed, but which it
was recognized might not prove of
lasting advantage or entirely fair if
too long enforced, would be imprac
ticable.
League a Necessity
The promise governments were
making to one another about the way
in which labor was to be dealt with
by law not only but in fact as well
would remain a mere humane thesis
if there was to be no common tri-