Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-01-17
RESULTS OF WORLD war
Victory Of Allies Makes A Demo-
cratic Europe.
View OF GREAT ITALIAN STATESMAN

the Divine Right of Kings is Gone
Forever and From Now on the
sideration of the More Powerful.
Weaker Nations Will Have the Con
In an article in the Secolo, OF Rome
Signor Guglielmo Ferrero philosophlz-
es in the manner in which his readers
have learned to expect from this very
thoughtful historian on the results at
tanned by the war. THE world war;
he saws, has lasted much longer than
even those who cherished the fewest
illusions anticipated; but, as a compen-
sation, 1t has unraveled the knot, Tor
a century considered indissoluble, OF
the greatest European questions on
which all the smaller questions de-
pended. How many Of us have dared
to hope during these four years. that
at the end Of the war the Austro- Hun
earian empire and the German empire
would together have disappeared from
the earth? No one however, could
have imagined that the war would also
have removed the Russian empire
which was fighting on the other SIDE;
that all the three m!litarist empires
by divine right would have fallen dur
ing and at the end Of this war, Doth
friends and enemies; and that at tn
end Of the long duel only the parloa'
mentary democracies Of the west wouid
be found standing, Italy, France and
England, those which were considertd
the weaker nations.
Nevertheless the improbable has
become reality. From the time OF tho
French revolution until 1918 Europe
was divided into two parts, which now
made war, and then a truce but never
peace; the Europe which was dynastic
by divine right and national demo-
cratic Europe Today there is only ono
Europe. The conquerors find them
selves in front Of a blank page on
which they can write what they Ike;
a cleared and free trritory on which
they can build in accordance with the
designs Of the mind and not In accord
ance with the tyranic impositions OF
that same territory, and before vast
masses derived from these three great
ruins out of which they can carve
new Europe which shall be harmoni-
GUS and living example Of political art.
Such ample justice has never before
been done, nor has so great an oppor-
tunity presented itself in the history OF
Europe, and it may we'll be argued
that it will not soon occur again. VIII
Europe show itself equal to the occa-
sion and not allow a moment, which is
perhaps unique in the history Of the
world, to pass unutilized?
Every one should do what in them
lies to insure that the great hopes OF
ff1e present time shah not be disap-
pointed, for only in this way will the
victory for which our soldiers bravery
and the sacrifices Of the civil popula-
ton have wrested from the enemy
Weld its fruits. The peace congress
will have to draw the boundaries with
in which a greater number OF new
peoples than ever before came into ex-
istence at the same time will have to
live. The operation, difficult at any
time, will be especially difficult in
century in which the very idea of linn
its has been uncertain for some time,
both in thought and action, and when
to consider every yard gained as
stage to gain more has been held to be
the highest wisdom in some cases and
the finest heroism in others. The con-
gress will probably have to decide
among a number Of contradictory as
pirations, all having some points in
their favor, either because the lines di-
viding races and languages are hardly
ever very clearly traced on the race
Of the earth, or because national limits
do not always satisfy the political and
economic needs of either large or
small states.
1T will not be easy to decide fairly
among these conflicting claims, just as
it will not be easy to see that the de-
c:sions Of the congress are considered
and respected as the basic statute Of
the new order Of public right in Eu-
rope reconstructed according to the
rule Of nationality. 1t may happen
that more than one Of the new nations
may be tempted to consider the de-
cisions Of the congress as first pay
ment, first stage, gn of good hopes
for the future. The spirit of the old
Europe will not perish so soon!
"This danger must be taken into ac-
count If the reconstruction of Europe
according to the rule of nationality is
not to be the signal for new wars. Ma
tions are by nature neither bellicos
nor pacific, they live at peace or they
make war according to the pass ons
which inflame them, the ideas which
prevail in the states. or the interests
in which they are absorbed. There
fore the limits of these nations must
be traced, not on a foundation of the
suspicious, jealousy. rivalry and over
bearing which made the policy OF the
Nineteenth century productive of SO
many wars in spite of the desire for
peace, but In Sucn way tldl eNci
people may be able to live In reasona-
BILE contentment with it's lot.
"This is possible today, provided
there is a wish for it. Many of the
calamities which afflicted Europe in
the Nineteenth century arose from the
desire to impose conditions on the less
fortunate nations which made exist
ence impossible for them. The two
first victims were Poland and Italy
and when the Italian question was
partially solved the Balkan peoples
were added to the list.
"Those who look for a reason as to
why Europe persisted in sowing the
wind and reaping the whirlwind in
this fashion, depriving these peoples
of air and breathing space, will find II
was to the interest first Of Austria OF
Russia and then of Germany. These
.-......z ,,d or,hitiops no longer eX-