Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1919-02-14
FACTS FOR SENATORS.
The New York World ScoIds the
United States Senate.

The war with Germany was world
war, in which all the great nations OF
the world and manw of the smaller aa-
tions were actively engaged.
The peace that ends this war must
necessarially be a world peace. The
adjustments are not local; they are in
ternational They do not concern penal
ties and damages alone. They concern
boundaries, they concern colonies, they
concern the administration OF vast
areas of territory, they concern the es-
tablishment of Governments. they con
cern the emancipation of millions upon
millions of people who have been living
under alien rule, they concern the fut-
ure political and economic welfare of
the world for generations.
None of these questions would nave
been raised if Germany had been victo-
rious in the war, for the peace terms
would have been written with the point
of a Prussian saber. The associated
powers having won the war, are now
confronted with the stern necessity of
translating into action the principles
upon which their victor ywas achieved
and so applying these principles that
there can be no repetition of this uni
versal calamity which has all but
wrecked civilization.
The three men who are Immediately
responsible for the framing of this
peace are Woodrow Wilson, David
Lloyd George and Georges Clemenceau.
Circumstances have made them the
trustees of mankind. They know it,
and they are acting accordingly A1uchI
as Mr.. Wilson, Mr. Lloyd George and
Mr. CIemenceau may differ in temper
ament and training, they are the three
ablest men in the public life of the
world day nor has any great crisis In
history developed three men better
qualified for their task, or more deserv-
ing of public confidence and support |
They are all three highly intelligent,
honest and sincerely determined to
reach the best possible solution of the
problem
If the United States Senate is intel
lectually or morally capable of forming
q peace program that will dispose of the
ve~ntions questions with which the
Peace Conference must deal, it may be
sure that the President of the United
States the Prime Minister of Great Brit
ain and the Premier of France would
welcome its assistance. But if the SEN
ate is not capable of giving this prac-
llCdl nClD, lflG least IL CStu QO 10 " re-
frain from nagging and bulldozing and
threats. Day after day Senatorial or
ators have barely read the headlines in
the morning papers rise in their seats
and tell the Peace Conference what 1t
must not do and what it must not
think and what it must not consider
but there is never constructive sug-
gestion.
While voiciferously asserting their
rights as a treaty making power of the
United States. the Senators who are de-
against the reported de-
cisions of the Peace Conference seem
to be afraid chiefly that any general J
treaty will be made with Germany or
that this country will assume in the
peace any Of the responsibilities they
helped fix upon it when they voted for
war.
Unless there is a peace that rs under p
written by the nations that crushed 5
the ultimate victory win X
-est with Germany. It viii be impossi- (
Die to collect the indemnities. it viii be '
impossible to guarantee the bounda- u
les of Europe. it will be impossible toi v
prevent the organization of a new CO.
llition to crush France and the small y
lations. il will be impossible to stabil-
re in any way the triumph of democ-
acy which has cost so much blood and W
reasure, and it would be impossible tol q
revent repetition OF this war.
If the activities of the Lodges. the s.
1noxes, the Borahs, the Hardings and %
he Johnsons mean anything. it is that &C
lere shall be no general treaty of peace dt
nth Germany. and hence no treaty st
hat can be enforced-that the victory Of
nall come to naught that they may sa
ratify their partisan hostility to the fiji
resident Of the United states.-New ou
ork World. an