The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1919-04-17
NEWS review OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Hungary in Grip of BoIshevism
and Other Parts of Central
Europe in Ferment.
PEACE DELEGATES STARTLED
Speed Up Work on the Treaty, Which
Germans Say They Will Not Sign
League of Nations Covenant
Being Amended.
ey EDWARD w. PIckARD.

Matters in Europe last week moved
swiftly toward q climax. Bolshevism
was gathering itself for it's greatest
efforts, and made a start in that way
that alarmed the civilized world. 1t
fastened it's clutches on Hungary, or
at least on the government and on
Budapest, the capital, and soviet rule
was established in place of the repub-
lie that was headed by Count Karolyi.
Revolution broke out in Galicia, start
ing In the oil districts; soviet gov
eminent was set up, the Lemberg
soviet declared general strike, and
Polish troops sent to combat the rev.
olution Joined in the movement. Bes-
sarabia was proclaimed republic and
its directorate began military opera
tions against Roumania's army, de-
feating a part of it. The Bessarabian
movement undoubtedly was directed
by the Russian bolsheviki and support
ed by the Ukrainians, the idea being
to establish communication between
Moscow and Budapest by breaking
through Roumania. Efforts 10 turn
Czecho- Slovakia and German Austria
over TO the bolsheviki have been 50
far unsuccessful.
Frank critics of the peace confer
ence lay the blame for much of this
on those idealists who undertook to
remodel the entire world and bring
about the millennium at once in
stead of first making peace and per-
hitting the belligerent nations to re-
sumo the ordered activities of civil
feed existence. That the gentlemen
gathered in Paris have recognized
their error is apparent in their present
haste to complete the peace treaty
and have it signed. They will, accord
ing to reports at the time of writing,
include in the treaty formal state
ment concerning the league of nations,
because Germany will be required by
the treaty to surrender her colon IS
to mandatories Of the prOposl
league, but it is not unlikely that the
adoption of the full constitution of the
league will be deferred. The first
treaty, which was being considered
last week by Wilson, Lloyd George,
Clemenceau and Orlando, it was said,
was sufficiently firm in it's terms to
insure a lasting peace, would simplify
the international food prohem and
pave the way for industrial and
financial reconstruction. The princ1-
pal aims of the proposals under con-
sideration were: CD To insure ample
security for the future protection OF
France, especially on her eastern
frontier; (2) to establish strong
Italy, with a formidable northern bar
rier against aggression; 90 to create
strong Poland; (4) to found league
of nations pledged, on material as
well as moral grounds, to the preser-
walton If world peace.
The "Sig four" as they are called
in Paris, were said to have decided to
make peace with all four of the enemy
nations at once. This plan presents
some difficulties, one Of the least of
which is the fact that the United
States never was at war with Turkey
and Bulgaria. Most troublesome will
be the fair assessment of the pre-war
debts of those two nations and of
Austria-Hungary among the various
provinces, and the fixing of the
boundaries they must accept.
It is believed Germany's new bound
aries have been virtually fixed by the
peace delegates, though no announce
ment has been made. A financial
commission has been working fast to
settle the reapportionment of Ger
many's public debt, the question of