New-York tribune., 1919-04-15
Guarantees of Peace
II. A Powerful Rumania

ii. A Powerful Rumania
Poland has been designated by nature
and political circumstances to be the
main northern outpost of Western de-
mocracy in Eastern Europe Similarly
Rumanla has been designated to be the
main southern outpost. These two states
constitute the end links and anchor posts
of that sanitary barricade stretching
from the Baltic to the Black Sea and
separating the Teuton powers from
Russia which it is one of the chief tasks
OF the peace conference to erect.
Rumania is especially fitted for her
role as sentry and quarantining agent.
Her people are Of Latin stock and have
maintained their Latin traditions, al
though they were encircled for centuries
by non-Latin races-Slav. Turk and
Magyar. Geographical and dynastic con-
slderatlons made Rumania for a time
satellite of the Triple Alliance The
vagaries Of international politics also
threw Italy for while into association
with Hungary and Germany. But
these relationships were unnatural. Italy
and Rumania both belong by sympathy
and racial af1iliation to the Western
European group.
A strong Rumania would contribute in
every way to preserving the status quo
which is to be established by the peace
conference. Following the principle Of
the seit-determination of peoples, her
area of $4,000 square miles before the
war would be about doubled by a rect-
fication of her boundaries. She lost
Bessarabia to Russia through the Treaty
of Berlin, following the Russo-Turkish
war of 1877-'78. The Germans gave
Bessarabia back to her last year through
the Treaty of Bucharest. The province
is now Rumanian. 1t should remain so.
Pennsylvania is preponderantly Ru-
manian in population. So is the Banat
of Temesvar, except in it's westernmost
sector. Bukowina is a land of mixed
races. Yet no violence would be done to
self-determination by including it in
Greater Rumania, with which it's people
are more closely allied than they are
with either Austria or Hungary. The
enlarged kingdom would have a popula-
tion of about 14,500,0 ,0OO-greater than
that of Austria, Hungary, Czecho-Slo-
vakia or Jugo-Slavia. 1t would become
the chief Balkan power and as such
would tend to bring Balkan policy COM
pletely into line with that of the Western
democracies, whether these latter work
together through an old-fashioned con-
cert or use the mechanism Of a Society
of Nations.
The Allied nations are under great
obligations to Rumania. She entered the
war in 1916, trusting to their promises
and conforming her military policy to
theirs. In accordance with the military
convention which she signed, Rumania
undertook the luck1ess invasion of Trans
sylvania, leaving her Bulgarian border
poorly protected. Russia gave her all
the assistance stipulated in the treaty.
But France, Great Britain and Italv
failed to make good their assurances of
support. The Sarrail offensive out Of
Salonica, which was to keep Bulgaria
occupied, was a fasco. Rumania was
speedily attacked on three sides by Mac
kensen and Falkenhayn, and within few
months had suffered the fate of Belgium
and Serbia.
The Allies have therefore a long
score to pay to the Rumanians It would
be foolish for the peaes Conference to
be stampeded by the sulkiness of Hun
gary, which has now staged an imitation
of Bolshevistic irresponsibility as a pro-
test against a repatriation of her subject
populations. Hungary has had her day
as an oppressor of the Danube VALLEY
peoples. To strengthen Rumana should
be an important object of Allied policy
For the peace of Europe can be guaran-
teed only by the creation in the troubled
Vistula and Danube basins of dependable
and virile pro-Ally states, able to with
stand Teuton intrigue and Bolshevist
nfiltration.
D;J C.er,,,ap1, pl,,,1lo~ Af. All,