Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-02-16
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DIVISION PROVES
IMPORTANT ISSUE
Some Delegates Consider It
More Important Than 100,
World Peace. ess
WAR PURPOSES IDEAS DIFFER
Plain People of Great Britain,
France and Italy Back 81.
of President. , ,.Ss,
HY JUSTIN McGRATn.

PARIS. Feb. l5.--It is we'll that the
;a.1'e,ri% people should absorb tho att
innSphrre Of Paris on the eve OF the
opening Of the peace conference. Hsss
II ! can make clear the psychology
Or P4r!S at this period. am sure the
knowledge thus gained Will be OF great
ana 10 Il clearer understanding of SUBJ
segment events. tI-..t =
When This article IS read. the Amer
lean public ALREADY will have learned
much about the actual work Of the
Impressions may give an insight into
what tranSpred here up to the open.
Ing. OF the conference which the iimi-
tations OF the Cable vigilance and the
rightly. OF the French censorship did Z
not make possible. f'..'tT &
the week preceding the opening Of the
GomferSnce ana who considered Preoi- Y
dent Wilson'S announced program as
representative OF the American pur-i
disturbing.
AS yet. no open opposition to the
i'resident.s plan had developed, but it
was manifest in many ways that the
assiduously to spread the BELIEF. ttnt
the PRESIDENTS program was imprac.
tea pie idealism had ncen making greet q
Their campaign had been helped by,
at,it tHdm'nS Ih fin5anSs IN the Presidents
of his program deeply deplored
Instead OF boldly Insisting that Eu-g
froopean diplomacy must give way4to &
lied countries, that there should be,
In the words Of the Presidents wash.
ington address, open covenants OPEN
~ arrived at, the American high COM 6
mission was endeavoring to square the +
American position with European d. s
Instead Of the great receptions given
TO the President in France. Great Brit
am am ard italy strengthening the Amer- :
lean backbone, they seemed to have Y
Weakened it, ~ D.
WAR PURPOSE IDEAS DIFFER
INVESTIGATION DISCLOSEs :
instead Of these Gathering manifes-S
,ations OF popular approval being taken
as Inc European peoples endorsements L
OF President Wilson'S ideas as to the
proper basis upon which 10 construct .,
an enduring peace, tho American high 4
commission apparently regarded theS
acclaim accorded the President as plac.
ing an obligation upon the high cons &
mission 10 be more than ever regards
,ui OF the scnsibiiities OF European Dip
the war was fought for and the Amersa
lean idea there rs by no means tn O. har,#
mony which Americans have been led /
TO believe prevailed. 55s
THEE can DO no doubt about the
siren ,i OF ne support which the.
and Italy are giving to President VII;
sons plan for an International under.sS
standing which will make impossible,
as was visited upon the world throuEhei
inc wanton outbreak OF German milf
The plain people OF Great Britain,
France. Italy and the United States
VINO have lost sons and fathers ON
the battle fields and who have suffered
me privations OF war, and especially
the people OF France and ltaly-wdo
have been made to realize all the Thor-s
rors OF war, and who look out upon a
future which Is without much pros-s
pect OF happiness and which for many
~ very dark indeed, not much
concerned about territorial divtsfons,
ana correlative questions in which the Z
governments are absorbed.
WANT GERMANY PUNISHED sas..s5
AND EI'ItIISE
Their chief concern seems to be to-.
see TO 1T that the nation which brought,
All this misery upon them is property
action decided upon which will safs-s
guard The world against another such
terrible visitation. Srv5f,s'
franco among the plain people It's
commonly asserted here in i'aris that.
acciarc that 1t was impossible for him
10 deal with Clemenceau the Clemen,
ccau Ministry would be overthrown.-s|ss,
In England there is "A Similars feef.4s
inS among the people who have suf-s
irred and who arc still suffering from
senerally reported 10 be to bring aboutf.
tnc punishment OF those responsibtsst
OF proper provision against another
SUCH calamity ovcr,aking the human
Now this being true. it seems strange
ana incNplicab!e that there should be-
any loss of morale among those
program in raris 0'" NmG y yee at W'i rS,s
writing, there appears TO be such 81 \
European dipoma,ists are much
more concerned about the divisioris-U Of 1
E,mr"pe IMAM they are about the fu-a
many OF Them are. 'rrue they viii.
ie'i you that upon a proper division &
% Mor Epr rgs, 'he r, future SAFETY Of the
herents OF the balance OF powers. dec. s
AZ least most of them are. ,evenis
such is their view. sefsssEsS
DIPLOMATIC TiGiI'rliOPE
WITH BALANCING POLE
TO their way OF thinking. the chasnis..
OF war ctn DE safely crossed only, on s
ing pole Permanent bridging Of tho.
'"T rhs n lheX regard As mPossi6ls,S
the othSr-nAnd went into the WARMTH
The idea tina; the permanent bridge y
across the chasm could be constructed &
and the world made sac FOR democs IS
II President Wilson and the Amer 4
lean nigh commission had insisted
from the beginning that al! queStIohS Z
OF territorial division upon which there 4
VAS not unanimous agreement must
he made to Tx IN with the plan for
World peace md had not tried to con
form The plan for wo:ld peace TO the
i i, u ana a>4rice OF nations seek
ing 10 enlargement OF power tile 4,
Presidents program would have stood
a neiier chance than ii appears AZ 4,
II may DE too late TO take thisS
stand but certainly the week prsced-;s
ins the opSLi..g OF the conference ,Was
depressing ~ americans in Paris who IS
hnd !:.i. 10 the belief that the PrestASy
dent had the idea for which long snf-g
Ier:us hunhh!i! had been waiting and
priyini tbyOugh the centuries to cid sS
~ long naTtHrdoa to the selfish ans-'sSg
bitionS .. rulers with e lust for~eni.gt
p:-c = risssfSs
No one Wound be justified In saying q
ttat the C.iay H. opening the peace q.
eonferencc was designated TO give IN
those VINO We're opposing Prestdertts
Wilson's program AN opportunity ito ~
weaken his prestige ard influence. Ard .3S
yet unIucstio,ably the delay has been s;
employed TO that end. ~ iSssI,,S
II In the days 10 come Presideuk3ss
Wilson .hail snow any disposition 10 H
compran.tsc with those who have bean w
OPPOSING his plan for a league ctSne%S9
tors 10 safeguard world peace, HIS ~
yielding probably M.ili nc due riaxS IN
coniinuetI,-cn Ninth Page
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