Arizona republican., 1919-04-25
Grasping Italy

We know very little of what has been happening at the peace conference. We have heard much and then we have learned that much that we had heard was untrue. It could at times be concealed that there were heated sessions of the conference that in spite of the high ideals which had understood had come of allied sacrifices in the war; the nations whose representatives had gathered at Paris selfish and sordid ever; they were all grasping what they could get. The United States alone be excepted. It had estopped itself from asking or taking anything There nothing the people of the United States wanted For the the street; for ninety Americans out of every hundred tho war had ended on November H. The armistice finality; it the only peace treaty in which they were concerned They only desired that the American soldiers should be brought home quickly possible.
 The people had approved the high ideals expressed by the president they in accord with the -four teen points," They could not be otherwise They must have endorsed them they must have endorsed any maxim of fairness and righteousness But after all, they not greatly interested in them Their accord and their endorsement the most part passive They had little interest in the peace terms in the fixing of European and Asatic bound aries or the disposition of the German colonies.
 They felt though, interested bystanders that Germany should somehow be punished for bringing
 
 far possible for the ruin of Belgium and the great wrong that had been done the French They also had an interest in the birth of League of Nations for which they believed opportune time had come That was not idea with them It had been entertained long before the great war was in sight.
 But generally as to the terms of settlement, the creation of new states the extension of French and British influence in Europe and Asia, gen. eralfy in state of unconcern It was not regarded as vital to us This attitude rather this lack of attitude has been a handicap to the president He must have been aware, and doubt the representa- lives of the other nations at the peace conference were aware that there national sentiment regarding the terms; that the mass of Ameri- cans will be satisfied with almost any outcome of the conference
 We think it is this knowledge that has given strength to the London pact for the delivery to Italy of the pound of flesh exacted as the price for her descrtion of the triple alliance when she fonnd she could not get good price for remaining faith ful to the central She made them the first offer.
 Great Britain and France would now gladly occont President Wilson's view in it's entirety and no doub they would accept it if they believed it was backed by an active American sentiment In the ahserco of such backing they may rgidly to the agreement and will give in to Italy all they promised her hut not the city of Plume which was not included in tb secret treaty.
 We hope though, that the president will prevail and that the principle determination may ba established If he should fail on this one point we would come out of the with the consciousness of having only contributed to the temporary defeat of Germany, and without having done anything for the future. The world would have been made m more permanently safe for democracy than it was before