South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-03-17
Abolition of Consumption
in All European Armies
Momentous Achievement

ensure her reacQuiring.
Great Conference Gamble.
We have here one Of the gress
CANDLES of the peace conference.
Here the professional soldier. like
Marshal FOch, encountres the pro-
fessiOnal politician: the soldier re-
mains convinced that the solution
for the future does not lie outside a
national army; the politician recog-
nizes that the perpetuation OF the
old system leads toward bankruptcy
and anarchy. and the conference Of
Paris has adopted The view of the
politician.
III one can conceive that in the
next FIVE or 10 years. Europe will
abandon a conscript army and mil
lions Of young men will he retained
in industry rather than maintained
in barracks. if one can conceive that
the enormous annual appropriation
for the maintenance of armies and
navies are allOcated to the payment
OF war debts. il is al least possible
that Europe will be able 10 remain
its economic stability and restore its
industrial life If the thing be i'm
possible. then in the words Of Pitt
il is our time 20 roll up the map OF
Europe for a period Of years
Lloyd George has had his way i'm
ore OF the most momentous changes
the Paris conference has undertaken
TO make. The German army dis
appears. the great general staff Of
the German diminishes from the
stature Of a giant to that Of a dwarf
Allied supervision Will for a long
time regulate the amount OF war
material manufacture the German
navy will become almost deriscry
a maritime force as a single yacht
which flies the flag of the Prince Of
Monaco. COnomitantly. COnscript
armies in England and France and
Italy will disappear
Nothing is more certain than that
with the disappearance Of German
armies the cause Of general con-
scription in Europe will be removed.
Secret Army Danger.
Will the Germans in the future = ;
he regains his strength after the
moment when the armies OF Occupq-
ton are withdrawn, relapse to the
Prussian system? Will he even, in
moment of national weakness
adopt the methods by which the
great Prussian patriots after Jena.
avoided obedience TO the dictates of
Napoleon. constructed secretly
armies which supplied the decisive
influence at Leipzig, in the Marine
campaign Of 1914. and in the Water
loo episode OF 1915.
This is a question which remains
to be answered. If Germany chooses,
in the long run, il is probable that
she can follow ancient procedure.
Meantime. for a period OF years it
would seem that the policy OF Lloyd
George. accepted by the Paris con
ference, means abandonment By
forms OF ornaments We go back
to the time before the French revo-
luton of small professional armies.
We part with the theory OF a ma
ton in arms which has led Europe
in the last war almost to the point
Of suicide We release millions of
men annually from the barracks to
fields and factories. Temporarily, at
least. we lay aside that condition in
which Europe dwelt in insecurity
from 1865 TO 1914. We have had
an armed force for half a century
We are now going TO experiment
with disarmed Europe for a pc
Rod the length Of which we cannot
calculate.
In all essential respects, Lloyd
Georges successful demand OF the
Paris conference with regard to
Germany. is a Complementary detail
i'm the making Of permanent peace.
The league of nations and an armed
world are obviously a confusion of
terms. The league of nations and a
practically disarmed world are
logical complementary circum-
stances In disarming Germany, we
have in fact disarmed ourselves. al
though for a period Of years Ger
many will be helpless and the COM
bined. if small professional armies
Of the allies will suffice TO prevent a
new German assault II is a matter
OF frank QutSllOn whether the ptO-
pies of Europe after this tremendous
tragedy. would have consented to &C
cept any peace which continued the
conditions as to consumption which
existed before 1914 Tt is a ques-
ton whether any peace. even under
the shadow Of the league of nations
would have been welcomed by the
millions of Europe if il did not alb
solve them from the blood tribute
Of the old militaristic system We
at Paris are still under the shadow
OF the soldiers who won this war. but
il is a matter OF open question
whether the plain people of the
world would have accepted the solu-
ton which preserved so much OF
which existed before the deluge. In
any event. LLOYD George, who be
vond all question is the cleverest pol
itician in the world, and whose
knowledge Of his own country po-
litically surpasses a similar knOwl-
edge Of any other statesman, has
concluded that this disarmament is
necessary if order is 10 be preserved
and bolshevism avoided. and his
voice has prevailed at Paris under
circumstances which must remain