The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-02-22
PRACTICAL PEACE
PROBLEM REACHED
BY ALLIED ENJOYS
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III ElEElSO EINVV1O
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ence and began an effort to restore
Poland. But they were at once as
sailed, both by the Germans and by the
~Bolsheviks, they were also attacked to
the south by the Ukranians. with whom
they have had /an age-long quarrel
over Lemburg, and finally there arrived
a dispute between the Bohemians and
the Poles about Upper Silesia.
Recognizing that Poland was, after
al, the cornerstone of the new Euro
pean system, the most important detail
IN the program of l~iberating the en-
shaved people, 1t will be seen how great
has been the apprehension In Paris over
the condition in Poland. At the pres
ent hour. the Bolsheviks hold Wilma, the
Ukranians are bombarding Lemburg,
and the Germans were invading Posen
when the terms of the new armistice
were served upon them.
At bottom the Polish situation Is part
OF the great problem as to whether Ger
many shall be able again to attack
strength, but with the unwilling aid Of
millions of subject peoples. In 1914,
some %, 900, 900 of Germans in Germany
holding 1000, 900 Alsatians, Poles and
Danes, and 90, 900, 900 of Germans and
hungarians in Austria holding 30, 900, 900
and Latins, attacked France and
Russia. Thus Germany and Austria to-
gether were able to employ against
France and Russia the military re-
sources, Of 1000, 900 subject people, a
population nearly as great as that of
France, and but for these resources Ger
would have been beaten in the
first two years of the wal by Russia
and France.
Plan Stupendous.
The whole scheme Of M%itteleuropa
was that rs, ZOO, 900 Germans in Germany
and Austria, together with 10, 900, 900
Hungarians and 5000, 900 Bulgarians,
should dominate an empire containing
least $50, 900, 900 people OF various
races, and use subject races as ann
fodder Of conquest.
Today Germany has been beaten, but
on all edges of the German sea are
these various races. Poles, Czechs, Ru-
manlans and Southern Slavs. Unless
the conference at Paris can achieve for
his block of nearly $4,000, 900 people
Independence, security, time to organ
lie, Germany will destroy them as one
an %artichoke, leaf by leaf.
At the present, Poland is practically
Isolated, assailed on all sides, and I'M
III terms OF the new armlstice were pro-
claimed facing immediate threat OF
invasion. At the same time the
Bohemian C3echo -Slovaks are confront
with probably tie union Of the Ger
man provinces Of Austria with Germa-
ny, which will leave their own state al
most an ISLAND In the German sea, with
put economic outlet and are also con-
by difficulties raised by some
5,00O, 600 Germans within their own
frontier. The southern Slavs are en-
gagged in a bitter battle with the Ital-
lans, who possess their own seacoast,
and Rumania finds herself still unable
to escape the menace of the Hunga,
rians, who for centuries have held mil
lions OF Rumanians in terrible bond
age and still resist the liberation of
their slaves.
Ii we al at Paris create a strong
Poland to mount guard over the WIS.,
against German expansion and PEN
etration of Russia, If we can erect to
the south a strong Bohemia, an ad-
vance sentinel of the near East, and
strong states of Rumania and Of
Jugo-Slavia. Joined in alliance with a
increased Greece, we shall have
abolished most of the
OF German imperialism, both in
the direction OF Russia and in the d.
rection Of Asia Minor.
Germans Warned.
But all this the Germans saw long
ago. When they had broken down
they began at once to create
of states and to involve these
of states in difficulties with
other. They stimulated the Boil
shevik movements against Poland, they
melted the Ukranians to demand Cholm
and Lemherg, and, to the north, they
Jealousy between the Lithu-
anians and the Poles. In the meantime.
when they had lost the war and the
allies had mounted guard upon the
Rhine, they transferred their armies
the eastward and undertook to attack
and crush Poland.
Poland and Bohemia, in the nature Of
things. are practically isolated from
the allied world. Both have made re-
markable progress in the direction of
achieving unity and cohesion, but
neither n Of them Is capable of re-
Stunning national existence without great
and continued protection by the vest
ern powers.
The first task of the league of ma
lions will not be to organize Asia Mi
nor or Africa; II will naturally be to
erect in Europe, on a basis of self
determination, various middle European
states which by expanding and by be-
coming strong will block the German
pathway to world power, and thus, by
evolution II by nothing else, bring the
Germans out Of their policies Of the
past.
To a very considerable extent this gi-
gantic task has been postponed so far
by the Paris conference, We have sent
commissions to Poland, TO Warsaw. We
have sent commissions to Rumania.
Every great problem that has arisen
has resulted In the creation OF a com
mission with inevitable postponement
of action, and in every one of these
prospective states internal chaos and
external menace have resulted.
NfAa- ~ 1aaN A.-F-A~tAl A.V ~ ~
man threat TO invade Poland at nee,
the allies have taken action. They
have fixed the line which in principle
establishes the policy that the Poles OF
Germany will hereafter be Joined to
their brethren Of Russia and Austrian
action against the Poles along the Wis.
tula under threat of allied invasion o.
Germany east of the Rhine. They have
drawn a provisional line Of de,narca-
ton with far more consideration o.
German claims than Polish rights, blu.
at least they have made a beginning,
Coincident with this beginning is thC
development OF a profound conviction
In all quarters In Paris that It Is nov
necessary to make at least provisional
peace with Germany, to serve prelm,
mary terms upon the great enemy nov
regaining her strength and retaking hel
old ton of defiance, and the present in
dications are that within a very brie
time, under the terms Of the new ar,
mistice which permit the allies to de
nounce II on three days notice, a com
plete set OF preliminary terms will
shortly be served upon Germany.
These terms will compel disarma
ment OF Germany absolutely, The.
will abolish all German hope and agi,
tation for the reconquest OF Alsace
Lorraine by a preposterous plebiscite
they will establish the Fundamental
principle that the costs OF this wa
must he borne by Germany TO the las
dollar. possibly supplemented hy pay
ments In Kind In coal and II cattle
Ii IL possible to exaggerate the impor
lance OF this Polish development as
eign OF returning sanity in Paris, bu
ID ID moi possible TO exaggerate the ne
cossity for further immediate and def
mite actien Of a similar sort II there l
10 be real peace,
There was for two months in ParI
q very great tendency to forget al