El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-06-24
ideas
INFECT CZECHS
Their Further Usefulness
In Siberia Doubtful; Re-
turn Home Problem.

Paris, France. June 2{.-(By the
Associated Press. 1.-The transfer OF
60. 600 to 10000 Czecho-SIovak troops
to their homes from Siberia is now
becoming a pressing problem for the
entente. These soldiers, exhausted by
years of fighting. are so eager to re-
turn to their newly formed republic
that their usefulness in Siberia is
questionable.
Some Of their regiments have be-
come infected with Bolshevism and a
general spread of Red ideas is feared
if the men are kept from their homes
another winter. The problem OF
transporting the Czechs via Vladiyos-
tok and the Mediterranean is a diff
cult one 1t has been suggested that
they might be sent westward over
the trans-Siberian iise ana given an
opportunity 10 fight their way
through the Boishevlki in Russia
own principles. it made a European
peace, the best and most Just Euro
pean peace in history, ] believe. but
something utterly removed from Mr.
wilson's idea of a peace Of eoncilia-
ton and literally a peace only to be
enforced by the continued application
of actual force
League idea Disappears
Moreover, the nations. large and
small. whose aspirations. frequently
legitimate, were not realized, declined
to accept the decisions of the peace
conference, and either resorted to
arms or hided their time with the
intention Of ultimately appealing 10
arms. And in this situation the
league of nations disappeared from
calculations, from the serious discus
sions Of Paris. save IN American cir
cles. whereas, to the returning Ameri-
. n
occupy American attention almost 70
the exclusion OF all else In Paris
talked with scores and scores OF rep
resenratives OF big and little nations,
but never one did ! meet who ac-
tually believed in the league Of ma
tions as the fact or the possibility It
still seems TO many Americans. What
they all talked about was the Anglo
French alliance. which. as I
said at the beginning, was the reality
British statesmen rom the oeginnlng
saw behind the league Of nations iaea
and the French statesmen presently
perceived
Concession to Wilson.
Europe does not believe in the
league Of nations. It has accepted
through Mr. Wilson. asked for it. To
Europe il is Americas share in the
spells Of victory. just as the German
colonies fall to Britain and Alsace-
Lorraine 10 france we mlSlt nave
had territory and money II we had
asked for them; our right to claim
both was never challenged Indeed,
Europe IS anxious TO have Us take
certain territories in Asia Minor But
the thing 7 am trying to say is that
Europe adopted the covenant OF the
league OF nations not because il be-
lieved in the idea. but because il rec
ognizsd that America. who had assc-
ciated with the allies in the victory.
asked for such a covenant It proved
its lack Of faith in the idea by pro-
ceeding thereafter to make peace on a
European basis without regard to the
ideas Of the league Of nations and
thus completely eliminated the league
Of nations as an actual living fact
But Europe would not have
adopted the covenant OF the
LEAGUE Of nations had not British
craftsmanship seen In IL the first
step toward An%IO-AmericnR al
lance. with ultimate French par-
tIeipation. And today this alliance
Is all that Is left in Europe. allies
and enemies alike, Of the lengue
OF nations principle. Il Is the
fact which has survived the melt
ing pot of the peace NEGOTIATIONS.
Copyright 1913. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate