Newark post., 1919-07-30
BRINGS Personal.
WORD FROM PEACE
CONFERENCE
Continued from Page y

lIOnLlnueQ from age ~
ference at a time when the whole
structure Of European life was in
state Of chaos and when the feel
ing of race against race was
strongest. This strange feeling,
due largely to the belief Of each
nation that they were responsible
for winning the war made an in
finite number Of complications
which the Council of Ten and later
the Council Of Four must in some
way settle.
The two big questions OF Russia
from which no authentic news
could be secured, and Germany ap-
parently down and out Dut not to
be trusted, with the hundreds OF
lesser problems, made the work OF
this Peace Conference unlike any
that had ever met before. Prev
iously, making peace and hXlng
boundaries more or less aroltrar-
ily constituted the job.
Conference Assumes Executive
Power
The chaotic condition Of Europe
made it necessary for this body to
assume executive power or see
Europe perish before peace terms
could be definitely settled. Troops
had to be sent to Jugo Siavia, coal
strikes settled, nurses, doctors and
food despatched to Armenia, Ser
bia and other suffering states.
Matters like these took up nearly
ahlf of their time, but the need was
urgent.
Basis of Peace Settlement
Two words, reparation a n d
guarantees, cover the whole basis
of peace settlement, he said. The
basis for this settlement were
found in Wilson's IA points and his
later speeches.
The big question in the minds Of
the French was How much will
Germany pay? This was not cry
of avarice but of terror born of
the appalling destruction on every
hand, the material cost of which
financial experts say can not be
covered. If too much were asked,
Germany's credit would be destroy
ed and reparation could not be
made; if too little there was dam
ger of a repetition Of the existing
situation.
The guarantees covered by the
treaty-the commercial problem,
the provision for the social and
religious minority in every Euro
pean state, the territorial Difficult
ties and last but in the opinion of
the speaker, most important the
guarantee for cooperative settle
ment in disputes between labor
and capital, were covered briefly
by the speaker.
Conflicting and preposterous
claims presented in all sincerity
to the conference, the care exercis-
ed in fixing territorial boundaries
according to racial groups, the re-
paration of ancient wrongs, the
conflict of secret treaties and the
many wearisome perplexities, were
set forth and illustrated by map
references. Conflicting testimony
of experts complicating the situa-
ton, was illustrated by reference
to the Japanese question. Of ten
experts five would favor the Japan
ese and five the Chinese side of
the controversy.
The mere writing of the treaty
which contains $1,000 words every
one of which must be carefully
considered was in itself no mean
task.
Two convictions forced them
selves on the conference as a re-
suit of these many difficulties: one,
that these problems could not be
definitely and finally settled there
and that means for later settle
ment must be provided; the other,
that some supervisory body must
be created to guarantee this settle
ment, and provision for this body
must be firmly imbedded in the
document. A League of Nations
was the answer and came to be
regarded not merely as a good
thing but as vital necessity.