Evening star., 1919-03-11

| Germany has compelled her enemies
to incur in self-defense will still have
to be borne, not by the German ag-
gressor. but by the people who had to
defend themselves against German as
Sault.
, After many hesitations and much
debate the allies have not merely
I come to substantial agreement on
the terms of peace which are to be
imposed upon Germany. but they are
now in accord that terms which are
final shall within the next few weeks
be served upon Germany in the shape
OF preliminary peace terms.
s'Too Much Time Wasted"
There is general. agreement that far
too much time has been wasted III set
tling the relatively simple and enor-
monsly important problem of what to
do with Germany. In this period Ger
many has gone through stage OF po-
litical recovery which made her new
menace for the moment, at least in
appearance. Following this she has
slowly sunk into q state of chaos and
revolution which can hardly be sar-
rested gnisss snca German LEADERS ss
q nssIeS iies IL 81 5ss s.Is s'ssss zs,s
this liked basis Mu8t 80 tie fefsss1S, ~
which the allies have decided uben-
Hdns xssn to u Askedfo sign.
In ali PROBABILITY by the last of
March or the xrHt days at April the
Germans will be invited to come fo
Versailles and sign TIE rrelinfnafy
In general ontiined above. ~ Wiz Wiz
minor modffications this preliminary
treaty viii express the ffffaI declsfon
Of the alites exactiy - the treaty OF
Frankfort regt&tefe6 with tnsignih-
many months bef0re, as tie cipsIuT
act OF the Fraxco- -Prussian war.
We are then very close to peace and
when the preliminary peace has bOen
signed the German phase OF the war
In addition to dealing with Germany
the allies had before them the ,gi-
gantfc task Of erecting on the ruins
Of Aostria and Hungary and on the
states which should IN general follow
the lines Of ethnic division.
New States for the Map.
This task also has been pushed in
recent weeks and we can now see on
the map substantially what are. to be
the limits OF the new states OF Poland,
cEechosloyakia, Jugoslavia, Rumania
and a,.s.-is Gisrman,.speakins man. provinces Of
/ ".
Thus middle Europia has at last been
resolved into its component racial ell
ements and European history enters a
new phase, which must be shaped
largely as the new states which have
been created succeed in Achieving ma
tional existence or fail In thS task
and fall victims again to TAuG9nic or
Russian aggrandizement.
In constructing these new states,
Europe is following in the east and
mi n -
OF the congress of Vienna in 1915. and
OF the treaty Of Utrecht a century
before. Then an effort was made to
put barriers along the eastern and
northern frontiers Of France to make
new French wars OF conquest impos-
sipie, Now Europe is seeking to es-
tablish Polish. Czechoslovakia. Ruma-
nian and Jugoslavic obstacles along
the highway Of German expansion to
the east and upon the success or fail
ure of these obstacles depends the fu-
ture peace Of the world.
Minor Boundary Disputes.
We have had and are still having II,
Paris a number of relatively minor
disputes over boundaries which sre
approaching, but are not yet reached
solution. The more serious of tkrese
is the clash between the JueoSiav va
and the Italians over Fiume, DaYtnatia
and the Adriattc Islands. Their. is at
present possibility that Itsiy will
fiume and the Adriatic islaH,s. Ieay.
, Ing Daimatia to the Slays. This
would be perhaps the fairest flolution.
The second awkward difference of
opinion exists between ithe Greeks
and the Italians. and grows out Of
| consequence of their Tripolitan war.
Of twelve Greek isiands| in the Aegean
together with Rhodes. and the ItaIian
; claim on behalf Of Alblnia, which is the
consequence COZ OF Itaky's occupation Of
has been In recent days a marked inn :
provement in thE direction of COM
promise. and there seems to be a cen-
eral agreement that Italy Will sur.
render most, IL not all. of the Aegean
to northern EJlrus.
Other Disputes.
In addition to the foregoing dis
putes Ruynanians and the southern
Stays nave cisshed over a minor area
; in Banat. the Poles and Czechosloyaks
are at odds over the district of
! Tesschel. on tne %%stSgy. frIux. OF
Gaiiciat ard Tho psl@S and Itrafr.as
have actually been fighting for many
months. interrupted by hr.ef truees oser
Or all these difficulties only one is
reYlly serious and remains unsettled
tbs IS the break between tho Poles and
| tsA Lkrainians- II is serious, because
II represents part Of one significant fall
t'uke of the conference at Paris
For . variety OF reasons It has been
impossible TO adopt u policy toward
! Russ'a- This inability to facs the fssss-
sian problem as u wkoss hAs resulted IN
! fsaiure to reach aec1G1oa ~ u flle
! eene1n fronfi@s. M tsll khnt T1sn-
(continued On Seoon6 FnGS.3