Evening star., 1919-03-27
SAYS SINGLE PACT
PLAN MAKES DELAY
Mr.. Lawrence Declares De-
termination to Embrace All
Questions Postpones Peace.
ITALY AND U. S. OBJECT
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Decision to embrace in a single
peace treaty with Germany, Austria.
Turkey and Bulgaria a settlement OF
all questions tells in a nutshell just
what has been delaying the making
of peace since President Wilson's re-
turn to Europa There were those
who believed the Presidents dtsooV-
cry that the league was not inciuoeo
in the preliminary pact with Germany
drawn during his absence was at the
bottom of the trouble. Others saad
it was Premier Lloyd Georges refusaI
to sanction the Polish settlement.
Still others pointed to the lta!iah
threat to withdraw from the cohfer-
ence unless she were granted ffume:
Now comes convincing evidence that
Italy objected to the signing OF
peace treaty with Germany alone un-
less the Adriatic question were den-
nitely settled. The American delesa-
ton. moreover, was not ready 10 asree
to the .'neutralization" of the German
provinces on the left bank of the
Rhine. with provision that the french
troops should continue to occupy the
territory, on the pretense of addlns
to the military security OF France.
Proposal to neutralize the territory
by forbidding the troops of either
France or Germany to occupy the
provinces, but allowing the territory
to remain in the hands of Germany,
was reported to have been looked on
with favor by the French delegation,
but today comes a cable message from
the New York Sun correspondent in
frontier has not yet been agreed upon.
Seemed Only Solution.
Italy was not ready to sanction the
award of Frances claims until her
own were satisfied. The only solution
appeared to be to revert to the plan
of a single peace treaty embracing ali
countries instead of q pact with eaeh
of the enemy belligerents which
Italy unsatisfied.
But single peace treaty, 1t Is ad-
mitted by all the PANS correspond
ents, will delay the making of peace
are the questions. 1t would not be SUR
prising if at the end of that time
many of the questions we're still un-
settled and that a proposal would be
made to leave their settlement to the
league of nations.
The President himself has been urg-
ing that peace could be made most
rapidly IL all the powers agreed on q
few fundamentals and left territorial
problems to the league to work out
and with a better opportunity for
Investigators to discover the validity
OF the different claims that are urged
on military or chronological or economic
grounds.
Covenant May Be Revised.
While, therefore, the peace confer
- L.
ment on the various questions to DO
embraced in a single peace treaty with
all the enemy governmental. tho work on
the league of nations covenant VIII
proceed along parallel lines. Conceiv-
ably the covenant will be revised or
rewritten by the time ALL the pro-
visions of tho single peace treaty can
be agreed upon. Italy has won . vic
tory In her effort to secure a recog-
milton Of her case at the same time
that the problems of France were be-
ing settled. Italy claims that II the
secret treaties are to be valid in the
must apply to italian desires. With
the decision to settle French and
Italian claims in a single treaty, the
peace conference must now declare IT.
self on the famous secret treaties Of
1915.
Official Washington which includes
still here. is more or less divided ~
to the responsibility for the delay.
opponents OF the league declaring
that Mr.. Wilson has thrust this ques-
ton forward too prominently.
Friends of the President point out
or Italy failed to have an opportunity
to discuss their respective claims. and
they add that II minutes were pro-
duced Of all the sittings Of the
council of ten IL would be found
that questions directly involved in
reparation. the Rhine frontier. the
German colonies. the Syrian question,
the Polish boundaries and Adriatic
claims, have taken up as much time
and conversation a. the league Of
nations. If not great deal more.
Food Question Takes Time.
Not a little time has been spent. an
deavoring to reconcile the views Of
France and the United States on the
subject OF food for central Europe,
where bolshevism has broken loose.
and not q. little time has been taken
in trying to convince Italy that she
must raise the blockade on the Adri-
attic and permit food to 20 into Jugo-
sIavia and other parts Of what was
formerly the Austro-Hungarian en-
S
ten to permit the public to know all
that has been happening in their con-
ferences makes it possible for politi-
clans on both sides Of the water to
place the responsibility for delay
wherever they please. But the most
interesting Of all the foreign comment.
which states the case as clearly today
as if it had been said q month or two
months or three months ago. in fact
ever since the signing of the armis-
tice, is the following extract from an
editorial just cabled from the London
Daily News. which says:
London News Blames Allies.
.The tragic situation (referrinE to
Hungary is due to the failure OF the
allies to provide the central empires
with food and raw materials while the
Paris conference has been attempting
to reconcile the policy Of territorial
spoliation with the spirit of the league
Of nations"
AS for the delay in furnishing food
to central Europe, 1t was said in ad-
ministration quarters today that the
United States would have to accept
some of the blame. because, notwith-
standing the warnings Of Herbert
Hoover that the red-million-
dollar appropriation was needed i'm
mediately to avert anarchy. the meas
ure was subjected to prolonged debate.
AnoIlS nrnu{aiNn In Al