The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-02-22

UNI AND SUN-TELEGRAM
outset have been impossible had he
not received from Britain immediate
support. Like Mr.. Wilson the British
representatives at Paris were willing
to concentrate their attention first
upon the League OF Nations; like him
they consented to the practical ignOr-
ing Of German facts which no French
man could ignore. The responsibility
for this ignoring of the problem OF
making peace with Germany, as con-
trasted with the information OF the
League of Nations, is at least as much
British as American.
Goodness Develops.
Yet we have to face the fact that
because Mr.. Wilson came to Europe,
not merely or primarily. but almost
exclusively. interested In the League
Of Nations, because he had neither
time nor apparently the necessary
interest to go to the ravaged areas.
because in all this course he was sup
ported by the British in Paris, there
developed not only GOODNESS towards
the President in France. but a clear
division in the Peace Conference It
sell.
l have said in my frst dispatch to
America that President wilson's COM
ing had great and abiding value In
that it stirred idealism all over Eu-
rope, and in addition, particularly IN
the case of England, was positive
and perhaps permanent contribution 10
AnglckAmerican friendship. This l
think remains true, but 1t remains
true with many notifications and
qualifications since the time when
wrote it.
League is Formed.
| Since then we have framed the
! League of Nations which may or may
/ not make future war impossible, ana
a repetition of the suffering OF the last
four and half years out OF the ques-
ton.
! But while we have been framing
that League of Nations. Germany mas
risen from defeat defiant and deter
mined. and, as a preliminary to the
discussion of that League of Nations,
we Allied Powers of the West have
abdicated in Russia. leaving 1t for the
future to decide whether the former
| Romanoff state shall hereafter be Boil
shevik or Boche.
| At the same time failure to take
definite action has fatally handl-
! capped Poland, which must after all
be one of the cornerstones OF New
Europe and permitted it. already as
/ sailed by Bolshevike, Ukranians and
| Germans, to become involved in a
tragic dispute with the Czcho-Slovaks.
Poland has been neglected and the
task of the creation of Polish state,
whose value future peace is so great,
has been made difficult in the ex-
IRENE.
We have sent food to Germany, fear
full of German Bolsheviks, but we
have permitted starvation in Bohemia
and anarchy in Poland.
Many Problems Remain.
All the many problems that confront
the peace conference on the material
and political sides remain to be met.
The frontiers of Poland are not even
professionally defined. Poland and b.
hemia are at odds in Silesia, Rouma-
nit and Serbia in Banat, the old ques-
!, ton between the southern Slavs and
the Italians is empittered as delay fol-
lows delay. Syria has been permitted
to become real wedge between Brit
ish and French opinion.
The German has followed the course
of the Paris conference and changed
his tone from whine to threat in
less than three months after linden.
burg had recommended an uncondi-
tional surrender as the sole avenue OF
escape from supreme disaster.
1t will be unfair and unjust to hold
President Wilson exclusively or main
ly responsible for what has happened
HE could, had he chosen, have
brought the world to impose just but
dwelling peace upon Germany; he
could, had he chosen, have procured
provisional Accommodations in case Of
the gravest of the difficulties before
the conference.
British Had to Follow.
In whatever direction he chose tt
lead the British were committed tt
follow, and had he elected to lead il
the direction of terminating the wal
with Germany on basis of repara
ton, restitution and a guarantee
against future dangers. the French
would have followed him as they new
er had followed any man in their his
; tory.
But he decided to stake all upon the