Norwich bulletin., 1919-02-05
FACTS AND COMMENT

Jan. 18th have been marked through out by a harmony that was thought impossible considering the many con dicting interests that are to be recon ciled. Sixty-nine delegates seated about the great U.shaped table have as their task the settlement of the world. it is hoped, for all time to come. The United States, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan have five delegates each, Belgium, Brazil and Serbia three apiece and twenty odd other nations have one or two each. Russia is at present not represented, the Trotzky government being unfit and no other faction strong enough to entitle it to represent the entire coun- try. This Russian question is the one about which the attitude of the peace conference has aroused the most crit icism. The proposal of Wilson and Lloyd George, reluctantly accepted by France, that all Russian factions should send delegates to conference has been unfavorably received by on- lockers as well as by the invited guests. Apparently the hope of the alNed statesmen is to come to some sort of a settlement, waiving for the moment the question of responsibility for Russia's awful condition. Well in- tentioned as is the proposal, the con- ference will doubtless never come off, for the bolsheviki declare that the place appointed in the vicinity of Con- stantinople is too remote for their convenience, while the loyal Russians maintain that they will have nothing to do with the Trotzky regime that has been the ruin of their country.
 Other matters before the peace con ference are being expeditiously ham, died by separate committees. General F'och with four other generals and statesmen, of whom General Tasker H. Bliss is one, will decide on the size and character of the forces still need ed to police the occupied portions of Germany. A larger committee, with President Wilson as its leading mem ber is drafting a constitution for the league of nations that has already been adopted iii principle by the full conference. Another committee is studying the question of who were responsible for the war and the ways for bringing the guilty parties to jus tice. Three Englishrnen, three French men, two Italians, two Japanese and three Americans are charged with the task of deciding how much indemnity Germany is capable of paying, after which they must estimate the propor- ton due to each of the offended na- tions. Thus the work of the peace conference is going on in many paral- 1 Tel lines and the hope is expressed that the middle of MalNl.
 The republic of Portugal is again in difficulties. Since the banishment of King Manuel in 1910 and the establish ment of the new regime, there have : l., F1, oF Ti,o ! latest trouble is a direct result of the 1 revolution of December, 1917, which l was deliberately fostered by Dr. { Sidonio Paes and which resulted in 1 his own appointment to the provisional ] presidency. From this point Of van 1 tage it was easy to have himself elected 10 the regular presidency iii l June, 1918, only to be shot town six months later by an assassin IT. the railway station at Lisbon Slace that l time the country has oecn in tur. i -iuil and at present tfia 's is .E royaIie 1 uprising at Oporto and throu@1out the 1 entire north of .fe ht-ie :. .-':..-'y r'f.e 1 very existence o' n eX;,"l king is always a laflylrg ?o,r:, and ..:ruc l from hts home tn tha outskirts ,'t ] london s not so far away bus tir1, 1 he can keep a finger on affairs in his
 
 ment of Portugal has never liked ii that England afforded asylum to theil eX-king, nor tas he limses been any too popular in England especially since the war began, inasnuCh as the eX queen is a distant relative of tht Hohenzollerns. The finances of tn, royal eXiles are rather precarious, foi the new Portuguese government would
 never make the former king any al
 lowance. and the queens German sources of revenue were cut off unde
 the British trading with the enem,
 act. Thus should the former kin!
 make another attempt to regain hi
 throne it would not be inconsisten
 with the ordinary vicissitudes of Por
 tuguese politics and it might affor' him more excitement than truck farm
 ing near London.
 The new national assembly of Ger many that was elected Jan. 18th is t
 begin it's sessions at Weimar tomor TOW. unless unforeseen circumstance forbid. This body is not looked on a | q permanent legislature. It's duty 3 merely to arrange for a stable govern ment. The first task will be to appoir I a provisional government, as the Ebel , cabinet considers it's existence at a f end when the new assembly begins i
 function. This is the logical view ir asmuch as Ebert himself was an ar pointee of the kaiser and has merel S continued in office until his successc Q should be appointed The appointir
 power has changed during Ebert
 premiership, yet Ebert very proper
 is looked upon as the head of u
 government until superseded IT y other task before the new assembly e the adoption of a constitution. Sut
 an instrument has been drawn up l e the present ministry of the interi = and this will be taken as the basis f <, discussion. Two months it is est u mated may be needed to reach a col
 clusion on the new form of gover1 10 ment. after which the work of the n e tional assembly must be passed upt ,e by the legislatures of the sever
 states. It is hardly likely that tt
 assembly will be i'll session lol ie enough to act upon the peace Urea d now in the making at Paris.
 l. lgnaee Ian Paderewski, pianist al
 composer, is premier of the nc re Poland. That man with the tempe r. ament necessary to the great musici lg should be able to step into seethi in political situation and reconcile t
 warning factions is one of the marvt of this wonderful age, Poland of :, countries is the most unlikely field i Il so great a triumph. The Poles thel H. selves were never able to agree a in it was due to this internal dissensi
 that their country has been the pr i- of German, Russian and Magyar as add to this difficulty, the populati o+ of Poland is made up of Lithuania, Let's, Ukrainians, Czechs and Je besides the Poles themselves. Furtht
 more there is to be found among u he tumble of peoples every brand at democracy and socialism. Amid H. this chaos General Pilsudski was "