New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1919-07-02
Peace w It'll v en- dpce

War This is about the meaning
Of the 50 called peace treaty signed last
Saturday in the Hall Of Mirrors 1t
Versailles. Clemenceau, the Tiger, Z
had his revenche satisfied, Lloyd George
! got several more big slices Of the earth
for the British Lion, and Mr.. Wilson
got his League of Nations which is moth
ing more than an enlarged Entente for
the protection Of the spoils Of this war,
especially as far as Great Britain is
concerned.
This pact Of Versailles was condemned
/ by many clear sighted men before it
/ was signed. Someone has called it the
most shameful document in the history
of civilized nations. People are stupe-
fed by the thought that a big lie is the
only answer to the high idealistic purposes
Of their government on entering the war.
The signing Of this settlement makes
President Wilson the Worst-beaten man
on the face Of the earth. sss
Among the best criticisms Of the peace
pact that have come to our notice is one
written by the editor Of The World
Tomorrow, under the caption; Peace
and Honor Yet To be Won" It treats
the situation fully and offers a complete
analysis Of The different phases in inter
national life affected by the new arrange
ments. The article follows;
Peace md Honor Yet ToBe Won.
The nations at war are finding their
souls wrote =. P. Jacks, editor Of the
HILBERT Journal in 1914, and his remark
has been the text Of hundreds of ser
mons and editorials. Meanwhile lead
ers Of public opinion in the Allied ma
lions and notably President Wilson
stated the objective justification Of the
Great War in terms Of the noblest ideal
ism; this was war to end war, to
secure. peace, to abolish forever mill
tarism and CONSUMPTION, to make the
world safe for democracy, to establish
justice on equal terms for all nations
great and small, and to vindicate the
right of men everywhere to choose their
way Of life and obedience. In pursuit
Of these aims we fought not against the
German people, but their rulers, and
were highly resolved to be just to those
to whom we did net wish to be just.
Obviously not merely as Christians,
or as idealists, but simply as hoIest
men we must judge the terms Of the
Settlement on these grounds and only
on these grounds. Have the nations
who made the peace Of Paris found their
souls? Have they made the world safe
for democracy or established single
one of the ideals for which avowedly
America Fought Church and State
cannot preach holy war in terms Of
ultimate moral values, and for the sake
of those values use force without stint
or limit, !" sacrifice thousands upon
thousands Of lives, and jail those
who protest that the sacrifice is need
less and that people are deceived, and
then seek to satisfy US merely by the
magnitude Of our victory. If the Presi-
dent had said; My fellow citizens,
Germany has ignored our rights: her
power menaces our greatness: we must
defeat her lest she defeat u.s." he and
we might have no reason to examine the
treaty in the light Of ideals. Indeed
we might find some small satisfaction
that it is no worse. For let us admit
that tie treaty could be worse. It is
possible that the Kaiser and his junkers
had they been victorious would have
dictated more frankly ruthless and
brutal terms. At Paris indennities
and boundaries have been discussed
far more iniquitous than those adopted.
The United States at least has acquired
no new territory and apparently asks
no indemnity. Moreover, for our part
we are glad to believe that America
or President Wilson who spoke for
America, in that secret council Of three
which framed this open covenant
deserves credit for the defeat Of certain
Of the most vindictive or wildly imper-
ialistic proposals that have been sug-
gested, e. 6. the erection Of buffer
state on the left bank Of the Rhine, the
cession Of part Of Holland to Belgium,
etc.
Some of the Presidents warmest
supporters would 60 further and urge
that the Peace marks q new era in human
affairs in at least three important points
the adoption Of the League Of Nations,
the substitution Of a system Of manda-
tories for outright annexation, and the
provision for Labor Conference. Con-
corning the first Of these we can only
say that the publication Of the revised
Articles in no way mobiles our sorrow
ful conclusion that in place Of the great
idea Of q League Of Nations, and mask
ling under its name, we have an i'm