The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1919-06-26
7'--11-lI-1-l77- --7'7-17'7777-777777---
THE WAR AND PEACE.

Germany has decided to sign the
treaty-take her bitter dose.
Bad as it is, it yet is less than she
deserves. There is no way by which
she could recompense the world for
the grief and suffering her ambition
has brought upon its peoples. There
is no way she can make proper amends
for the barbarities she imposed upon
helpless men, women and children in
her insane desire to inspire terror in
the hearts of those she had set about
to epalave.
Many of these crimes will never be
atoDed-can never be. They will
stand as a brand of iniquity against
those who perpetrated them.
Germany-her people and those yet
unborn will, however, be penalized to
pay the indemnities assessed against
them. They will find it burden
all the more heavy because forced
one--because they are paying to those
they were wont to despise. OF course
it will hurt-their pride more than
otherwise. But it will be good for
them and the world as lesson.
And besides it is not in any wise
certain that this indemnity will be as
much of burden upon the German
people as the load of autocratic mill
tary government imposed by the Ho-
henzollerns from which they have been
freed With leaven of level-headed
craftsmanship Germany can pay her
bills and yet be benefited by the
| freedom that has been thrust upon
her by her erstwhile enemies.
In the meanwhile all the allied coun-
tries are loaded with war debts that
they have never expected Germany to
pay, because they know she could not.
The people Of the United States, Eng
land, France, Italy and others will
for years be heavily taxed to pay the
debt of freedom-and if the thought
should come to some that this debt is
heavy, they should stop a moment 10
ponder over what it might have BEEN
what it would have been had German
force conquered. And then, they, too,
will concede that the advantage gain
ed is worth the price.
But there's another phase Of peace
times that must be needed. Just why
may not be clear to US, but the fact
remains that war has turned loose up
on the world a spirit of unrest and
EMBELLISHMENTS that must be met
and dealt with. It's breaks thru the
surface in widespread bomb outrages,
in destruction Of property, in plots to
overturn our government. 1t shows
its ugly head in such organizations
as the /. W. W., w. C. o., various
phases of anarchism and bolshevism.
There is no denying that in meas
ure these efforts at revolution are
sometimes based on wrongs, but as
most frequently evidenced, they are
based on ignorance reinforced and
urged on by yiciousness. The first
steps that should be taken to counter
act such influences are those that will
do away with the wrongs, the abuses.
Then the sort of education that will
show the folly Of such methods in al
country where every man mas voice
in making the laws under which he
lives and naming those who execute
such laws. This last is the greatest
thing of all to keep before the eyes of
people, and should never be over
looked.
| Last, any soft-handed methods of
dealing with the really vicious should
be stopped, and particularly with for
eigners who come here seeking to dis
turb the peace and well-being of ma
ton that has all too freely served as
haven for them. Deportation should
be forcefully used on such enemy
aliens, and the bars maintained both
high and strong against their kind.
The war is over, but peace has her
problems, and we should seek to be
ready % face them steadily and fear
lessly-
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