Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-10

statehood were to be given adeuats
guarantees of friendly protection.
guidance and assistance.
And out of the execution of these
great enterprises Of liberty sprang
opportunities to attempt what
statesmen had never found the way
before to do; an opportunity to
throw safeguards about the rights
of racial, national and religious
minorities by solemn International
covenant; an opportunity to limit
and regulate military establish
ments where they were most like
1y to be mischievous; an oppor-
tunity to effect a complete and sys
tematic Observation-Disclosures of wa
terways and railways which were
necessary to the free economic life
of more than one nation and to
clear many of the normal channels
of commerce of unfair Instructions
Of law or of privilege; and the very
welcome opportunity to secure for
labor the concerted protection of
definite international pledges of
principle and practice.
These were not tasks which the
Conference looked about it to find
and went out of it's way to per-
form. They were inseparable from
the settlements of peace. They
were thrust upon it by circum-
stances which could not be over
looked. The war had created
them.
In all quarters of the world cid
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 expediency.
And they could not be adjusted by
merely prescribing in a treaty
what should be done. New states
were to be set up which could not
hope to live through their first
PCIlou vi WCdhHSSS "IlHoul dS- .
sured support by the great nations
that had consented to their crea-
ton and won for them their indie
pendence 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 il 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 waterways, with regard
to illicit traffic of many kinds. in
arms or in deadly drugs. or with
regard to the adjustment of many
varying international administra-
tive arrangements could not be
assured if the treaty were to pro-
vide no permanent common inter
national agency. if it's execution in
such matters was to be left to the
slow and uncertain processes of
cooperation by ordinary methods
Oh negotiation.
IL the peace conference itself was
to be the end of co-operat tive author
ity and common counsel among the
governments to which the world was
looking to- enforce justice and give
pledges OF an enduring settlement.
regions like the Saar basin could .
not be put under temporary admin
istratfve regime which did not in
volve transfer of political sover-
eighty and which contemplated a
final determination of its political
connections by poular vote to be
taken at distant date: no free city
like Danzig could be created which
was. under elaborate international
guarantees, to accept exceptional OBJ
legations with regard to the use Of
it's port and exceptional rela tions with
state OF which it was not to form !.