Evening star., 1919-03-29
DANGER PEACE CONFERENCE
MAY FAIL, MR.. SLlNONDS SAYS
Leaders in Paris Reported in Deadlock, While
Bolshevisn, Threatens to Ouerrun Europe.
Germany May Refuse to Sign Treaty.


promised. there is new war against
bolshevism in one quarter, and per-
haps,- in addition. something like war
against Germany in another quarter
as result of the German refusal to
sign: The people who bore the
pie. therefore, will at one time be
asked to make new sacrifices in life
and suffering. Will they do it? 1 do
not believe it.
People May Lose Faith.
Remember that for months and
months the people of the world have
been told that they were moldiIg the
future as one kneadS dough, were ap-
preaching the termination of their
beneficent labors, and that Utopia
was at most not more than two or
three blocks away. Remember how
much these millions of people nave
suffered and how little illusion AMI
confidence were left to them after all
at the end of four and a half years Of
agony.
Think, then, what may be the emo
May or 1st of June, when the truth
no longer can be concealed and the
peace congress at last is licensed by
the governments to announce that one
or two wars are about TO commence.
Now, last of all, what about the
chance of peace at the hands nf the
Paris conference? Within week the
conference of ten has been reduced TO
conference of four. just as the con-
ference of one hundred was reduced
to q conference of ten.
theoretically, this would lead to the
facilitation of business. but actually
whether you divide nothing by one
thousand. by ten or by four. the result
is nothing and in all cases there has
been no policy and there IS 10 policy.
No Common Objective in Council.
There is no common objective, no
one dominating influence. nothing but
with totally different visions and
necessities. trying to accommodate
living facts in this sad world of ours,
alike to abstract principles of the
league of nations. and to the hope
lessly concrete promises of the prime
ministers of England, France and
Italy.
Nothing has happened since the
council Of four succeeded the council
of ten which suggests the smallest
within the last forty-eight hours sent
polite but pointed Interrogation to
Paris: LAS to the invitation you are
going to send us to come down there,
kindly let US know whether your pur-
pose is to ask us to sign peace or to
discuss one.'
Which, by interpretation, would
seem to be that the Germans may not
even come to Paris unless they are
permitted in advance to have assur-
ance that their views will be heard
and permitted to change the conclu-
sion arrived at here.
The man whose Judgment on the
subject ana whose infogTnatfons arc best
in all Europe told me. last night that
not until the end Of the next three
months could we know whether Eu-
rope would survive the world war or
go down in a general smash.
In the last few days I have had OPP
portunity to talk with many people
coming out of Germany. Austria and
even Hungary. Their testimony does
not vary. They agree that Germany
will not sign a0y treaty of peace such
as Paris plans to impose. In the same
time I have talked with many men
close to the inner circles Of the Paris
conference, and I have found no one
who believed that the Paris confer
ence under existing circumstances
could ever reach a decision about the
treaty Of peace.