The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-12

which will leave her completely at the
mercy of the allied blockade. 1t is a
fact, little mentioned, but widely per-
ceived here, that the payment which
Germany can make even in the re-
mote future will hardly cover the cost
of restroing the devastated districts
with smaller payment for the de-
stroyed merchant marine of the allied
nations; yet the fact is obvious and
ominous that colossal debts which
Germany has compelled her enemies
to incur in self-defense will still have
to be borne, not by the German ag-
gressors, but by the people who had
to defend themselves against German
assault.
Final Terms to Be Served.
After many hesitations and much
debate, the allies have not merely
come to substantial agreement in
the terms Of peace which are to be
imposed on Germany, but they are in
accord that terms which are to be
final shall within the next few weeks
be served on Germany in the shape OF
preliminary peace terms. There is a
general agreement that far too much
time has been wasted in settling rela-
lively simple and enormously impor-
tant problem of what to do to Ger
many. In this period Germany has
gone through stage of political re-
covery which made her a new menace
for the moment, at least, in appear
ance, and following this she has slow
ly sunk into state of chaos and rev.
olution, which can hardly be arrested
unless such German leaders as re-
main are able to begin the business
of national life on a fixed basis; and
this fixed basis must be the terms
which the allies have decided on.
In all probability by the last of
March or the first days in April, the
Germans will be invited to come to
Versailles and sign the preliminary
treaty of peace terms, which / have,
in general, outlined above. With
very minor notifications this prelimi-
nary treaty will express the final de-
cision of the allies exactly as the
treaty of Frankfort registered with
insignificant changes, the armistice
signed many months before as the
closing act of the Franco-Prussian
war. We are then, very close to peace
and when the preliminary peace has
been signed the German phase Of the
war will be over.
Other Peace Settlements.
In addition to dealing with Germany
the allies have before them the 81
gantic task of erecting on the ruins
of Austria and Hungary and on the
western frontiers of Russia, new
states which should in general follow
the lines of ethmic division. This
task also has been pushed in recent
weeks, and we can now see on the
map substantially what are to be the
limits of the new states of Poland,
Czecho-Slovakia, Jugo-Slavia, Rouma-
mia and Hungary. Similarly, it seems
to be settled that the German-speak-
ing provinces of Austria will join
Germany: thus middle Europe has at
last been resolved into it's component
racial elements and European history
enters new phase, which must be
shaped largely as the new states
which have been created succeed in
achieving national existence or fail
in the task and fall victims again
to Teutonic and Russian aggrandise-
ment.
In constructing these new states,
Europe is following the east and with
respect of Germany, the policy of the
congress of Vienna in 1915, and of
the treaty of Utrecht a century be-
FORE Then an effort was made to
put barriers along the eastern and
northern frontiers of France to make
new French wars of conquest i'm
possible. Now Europe is seeking to
put Polish, Czecho-Slovak- Roumanian
and Jugo-Slavic obstacles along the
highway of German expansion to the
east, and on the success or failure of
these obstacles depends the future
peace of the world.
Minor Disputes Unsettled.
We have had and we still have in
Paris a number of relatively minor
disputes over boundaries which are
approaching, but have not reached
solution. The most serious of these