Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-04
SUGGEST HISTORY
may REPEAT ITSELF
Senators Recall Congress OF
Vienna in Discussing Out
come at Versailles.
ADDRESS BY Mr.. MOSES

Comparisons. similarities and con-
trasts between the preliminaries
| which preceded the congress of Wen
ma and the present peace congress of
Versailles were drawn in the Senate
yesterday in the course of debate,
and one senator. Mr.. Sherman of Illi-
| nois, pictured a possibility of the
future presenting a startling and SEN
sational instance of history repeating
| itself.
Senator Sherman pointed out that
the congress of Vienna was dis
persed by the sudden outbreak of
Napoleon from Elba, The kaiser is
| in Holland in friendly surroundings
Hindenburg is at the head of the Ger
man army" he said. II think there
is a similarity between that period of
the congress of Vienna and the pres
ent time
Senator Moses Finds Resemblance.
Senator Moses of New Hampshire
| called attention to several features
of resemblance. but thought that the
end will be very much as it was then.
without leaving any strong imprint
upon the world by way of change.
Il think that the parallel between
the preliminaries which preceded the
congress at vienna and those which
preceded the congress now sitting at
Versailles run both close and far. Fol-
lowing the downfall Of Napoleon, the
coalition which had brought about
that happy event were loud in their
declaration that they had not made
the Frannh nAnnia n
had warred only upon Napoleon and
his system, Just as we have been
hearing that we have had no con-
troversy and no quarrel with the Ger
man people, but that our fight was
with the Hohenzoliern and with au-
tocracy.
Indeed. one who follows diplomatic
history and who has noted the lofty
declarations which were uttered dur
ing the latter period of the contro-
versy with Napoleon will be struck
by the similarity of language which
Is to be found between the deciara-
tions, let US say, of Alexander I of
Russia, who was the prepayment then
OF league of nations, and the dec
larations of some of the proponents
Of a league of nations now.
"Col. House Of That Era"
For examuIe. we find Alexander
described by his closest companion.
Czartoryski, who, as near as can
make out. was the Col House of that
era, as one of the group who had
brought over into the nineteenth
century the Illusion Of the eighteenth,
who felt that In their own particular
formula they possessed the remedy
for all the ills from which mankind
may suffer; that their particular pam
acea was q touchstone to cure all the
Ills of humanity, and that--to use the
striking phrase Of czartoryski-a
few sacramental phrases were all
that were necessary to solve any
problem growing out of the relations
Of peoples. We find that very closely
paraiieled here.
1--WE find the description Of eAiex-
ander paralieled further when Car
toryski said. as I recall, that the czar
was willing that every one should be
free, provided that every one should
do as he wished. So they went to
council at Vienna in the same spirit
Maine has described as obtaining to-
day, and the sacramentaI phrases
were even more resonant than any
that have been uttered Of late.
Yet we find when that conferences
had ended there was no confedera-
ton OF Europe by which the SOW
ereignty of any peoples had been
surrendered. There were no guar
antees Of the doctrine of nationality
which worked evil to any OF the ma
tions who sat about the conference
table. There was no outcome of the
deliberations which tended in any
way toward condition such as the
senator from Maine seems to fear.
Need Not Bother About Outcome.
ST do not think that we need to
bother ourselves greatly about the
outcome of the deliberations at YER
sailles. 1t Is true that Alexander
had to go back to Paris In the effort
to complete his work. So we learn
that some OF the great pIenipo-
tentiaries Of today purpose to go
back to Paris to complete their work.
TT Is also true that Alexander had
to attend five other conferences be-
fore the futility Of the plan was at
such number of conferences will at
tend in the train of the conference
now sitting at Versailles. but I have
no doubt that the outcome Of the de-
H5erations now taking place in the
Hall of Mirrors will be no different
in their great and ultimate result
from those which took place q CEN
fury ago, and when they are over, 4
through the interposition of some
agency. probably that of widespread
human nature, which extends to the
biest of mankind. we will find,
through the application of that mo-
tive power, that Versailles has sad
died upon US no unusual problem and
given to US no undue burden"