The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-06-21

or expectation Of a league Of nations
and began to struggle for the material
facts openly. Poland and C~zecho-Slo-
vakia, Serbia and Rumania, Hungary
and Cz~echo-Slovakia, Serbia and Italy,
Poland and Ukrainia, Rumania and
Bulgaria, Bulgaria and Serbia, turned
from the thought Of peaceful settlement
to the preparation for conflict. When
| left Paris on May 81 not less than
Is wars were in progress in Europe
alone.
In a word, in the presence Of national
aspirations and dreams in eastern ana
southern Europe, in the face of Inn
perious material necessities in west
ern Europe, the whole conception Of
a peace Of Cancellation, of a league of
nations to perpetuate an amicable So
luton, Mr.. Wilson'S conception broke
down and disappeared.
There was left only one thing-the
Observation-Disclosures association. 1t
would not insure peace In Russia or
in central and southern Europe, since
1t was unwilling to send troops; it could
not prevent conflicts between rival
races; it could not because of the ma
terial facts concerning Britain, France,
Italy and Japan, make any but a VIC
tors peace with Germany, and once 1t
had agreed upon its terms and served
them upon Germany, 1t was plain that
most of the dreams expressed in the
league Of nations were incapable Of re-
alization.
To sum up: Mr., Wilson came to Eu-
rope with an American plan for solving
European problems. But once the so
luton was applied to the facts it broke
down. Mr.. Wilson's principles for
which he fought earnestly were put in
to the league of nations covenant and
the European nations solemnly accept
ed the covenant, but having done this
thew nrnraadad IN 20 Y,,a thAlu naona
on the basis Of facts, financial, eco
nomical and territorial.
They could not do otherwise, for any
other course meant ruin for their coun-
tries and victory for Germany. But
once this was done there emerged not
which put Germany for Is years lit
orally in the hands of her conquerors
and compelled her to work under their
direction to- repay the sums she had
cost them through her attacks. But
% 40 his meant to transform the
whose main business was to keep Ger
many In hand until the account was
settled, after an indefinite number Of
years.
This briefly is the story Of the col
lapse In Europe OF the league, OF ms;
tons as a fact, Europe having Endorsed
Mr.. Wilson'S ideals, applied its own
principles, 1t made a European peace,
the best and most Just European peace
in history, l believe, but something ut
terly removed from Mr.. Wilson's idea
of a peace OF conciliation and literally
continued application of Actual force.
Moreover, the nations large and small
whose aspirations, frequently legiti-
mate, were not realized, declined to
accept the decisions of the peace con-
ference and either ~resorted to arms or
| hiln1 fhnIv fin,a r,ifb fln tntA-tt1t, -
ultimately appealing to arms. And In
this situation the league of nations
disappeared from calculations, from the
serious discussions of. Paris, save In
American circles, whereas to the re-
turning American it seems to have
ton almost to the exclusion of all else,
In Paris | talked with scores and scores
of representatives of big and little ma
tons, but never one did | meet who
actually believed In the league of ma
tions as tn efact or the possibility it
still seems to many Americans. What
they all talked about was the Anglo
French-American alliance, which, as l
said at the beginning, was the reality.
British statesmen from the beginning
saw behind the league Of nations idea
and the French statesmen presently
perceived.
Europe does not believe in the league
Of nations. 1t has accepted the cove
Hant because America, through Mr..
Wilson, asked for 1t. To Europe it is
Americas share in the spells of VIC
tory, just as the German colonies fall
to Britain and Alsace-L Lorraine to
France. We might have had territory
and money II we had asked for them
our right to claim both was never chal-
lenged. Indeed, Europe is anxious to
have us take certain territories in Asia
Minor. But the thing l am trying to
say is that Europe adopted the cove
nant of the league of nations not be-
cause it believed in the idea, but be-
cause it recognized that America, who
had associated with the allies In the
victory, asked for such a covenant, II
proceeding thereafter to make peace
on a European basis without regard to
the ideas OF the league OF nations and
thus compile, ely eliminated the league
Of nations as an actual, living fact.
the covenant of the leagu eof nations
had not British craftsmanship seen in
1t the first step toward Anglo-Ameri-
can alliance, with ultimate French par
t~icipation. And today this alliance is
all that is left in Europe, allies and
enemies alike, Of the league of nations
principle. 1t is the act which has
survived the melting pot OF the peace
negotiations. But to end where be-
gan, this is something totally different
from the view which seems to prevail
in America, to the amazement OF the
returning exile.
(Copyright, 1919, by the Mcclure News.
psner Syndicate,)