El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-08-25


, reorganization Of the world on new
lines. was breaking down. Not only
were the German people manifesly
unwilling TO do justice to enslaved
races, but our allies, the three great
western powers. all Of them liberal
democracies, were not prepared 10
sacrifice what they conceived TO be
( the minimum conditions OF national
security. IN the case Of Britain We
had gotten around the difficulty by
dropping the discussion of the free
dom of the seas In the case of
France we had offered an alliance
to take the place OF q territorial oc-
cupatiOn a military alliance which
was in conflict with the fundament-
al principle Of the league Of nations.
IN the case OF Italy We could lind no
solution, so the situation became and
remains a deadlock
Yielding to Japan.
Then We encountered Japan in the
matter of Shantung. In this case there
was nothing to give even a colorado
appearance Of concern for national Sc
curity. China did not threaten Japan
and the possession by China OF what
had been stolen from her by Germany
would not add any new territory
which would give the Chinese an ad-
vantage. If they ever should plan an
attack. Nor was there anv Japanese
H. q
was in Fiume and cara. No. the case
was simple, IL was the same old de
sire Of a great nation TO expand at
the expense Of a weaker. But IN the
face OF the japanese claims. largely
because of the Italian experience. we
surrendered We turned 100000
Chinese over to Japanese masters. In
doing this We frankly conceded that
so FAR as the japanese were con-
cerned. the new principles had no
present application
Problem in Middle Europe.
But all these concessions and com
promises leading away from the
league OF nations principles were but
the prelude to what was now TO come
OF a sudden our representatives in
the Paris conference found itself face
TO face with Rumanian. Greek Pol
ish. southern Slav claims. which were
urged by the peoples who made not
the slightest pretence at preferring
world peace without their lost prov
inces' to war and possession
On The whole these claims advanced
thus defiantly, were just. or could be
defended with far more semblance OF
justice than Italian claims or for that
matter British and French. which had
been allowed The Rumanians asked
for Bessarabia for Transatlantic and
the Banat, where their case for an
nexation was far better than that
OF the Italians in the Tyrol or of
France, on the side Of security. alon
the Rhine The southern Slavs pre-
sented claims which under the league
of nations principles were beyond
cavil. since the population was main
" Slav and the economic relations
were transparent As for the Greeks.
their claims were at least 1000 years
old and in most instances had lost
nothing BY the lapse Of time.
Now the exact value Of these mess
wi IS
cussing in various articles. since I
came home. lies in the fact that they
all reveal the same essential fact II
IS not true. we assumed, when we
went TO Paris, that the peoples Of the
world are so DESTROYS OF arriving at
the elimination Of the dangers Of a
new war that they will make great or
for that matter sacrifices to this end.
The truth is that whatever the alb
tract ideals Of the peoples may be,
questions Of national security and
racial integrity have today exactly
the value which they have always
possessed The proof is in the ex-
perience Of the Americans in Paris
who based all their operations on the
contrary notion
Can Force League Of Nations.
And there is 4 further opposite
bearing of these ''messes" upon pres
ent conditions If the big nations
pies, II enough OF them agree they
can impose these principles upon the
rest OF the world. The United States,
France and Great Britain have the
men, the ships and the money. COM
bined, to force Italy to give up Tri-
este, TO invade Rumania and compel
ser to comply with Paris conference
q rections. But this means war. It
means American troops fighting all
over the world to impose principles
without immediate concern to the
United States
But II the big nations not mere
y decline to accept the league of
nations idea for themselves where
they nre vitality concerned. but
also fail to provide armies to i'm
pose these same ideas upon the
small people, who Will accept
them only under pressure. then
the ideas themselves disappear
from the practical calculation Of
statesmen.
When you spank your small son, for
bis own good. his affection and his
ultimate sense OF justice in nine cases
Of ten efface all permanent resent
ment But when you undertake as
a nation 10 tell a great people like
the French or the Italian or proud
smaller peoples like the Rumanians,
the Greeks and the Serbs that they
must part with something they cling
10 with a tenacity based upon their
OF justice and right,
you arrive at a different situation
That is why today We are terribly
unpopular in italy, Servia and Greece I
and viii be equally unpopular in
France II the senate fails to ratffv
he treaty Of alliance which was Of
Tered TO France as a substitute for her
Rhine barrier and accepted as such.
They Can't Understand.
The Greek cannot understand why
he great. rich secure American peo-
pie desire 10 Drolong his condition of
peril by giving Thrace to Bulgaria
The Italian fails utterly to grasp the
reason why We prefer the Serb to the I