Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-10-20
LEAGUE ALONE
WON'T BE ABLE TO
PACIFY CENTRAL EUROPE
Continued from Page one)

free and open highway to the Danube
from the west. The Austrans have
no love for modern Germany: a Wen
nese is lost in Berlin They would
much prefer to live in neighborhorly
way with the other states that used
TO make up the Austrian empire. But
while their neighbors have been hos
tile, the Germans have shown an ins
tcnsity of interest in solidifying Aus
tria with them which should arouse
suspicion as to their motives 1t
aroused my curiosity when | discoy-
cred that the question Of the anneXa-
ton Of Austria was one of the first
things on the program for the national
German assembly al Weimar last Feb
ruGcy Here was Germany in the
midst of peace negotiations and with
On internal industrial situation that
did not give a moments rest, and
yet the national assembly turned its
attention almost Immediately toward
the annexation Of Austria.
Germans Take Advantage.
1t was not out of a heartfelt interest
in the brother Germans left out in the
cold. The Germans saw what an
enormous political advantage 1t would
have if it had control of the sources
of the Danube, with its fist in be-
tween Czecho- Sloyakia and JugoSla-
via, ana right next door to Hungary
and italy. | went to Vienna at the
time to see what it was all about and
the game was at once apparent 1t
ought at least to be apparent to the
government in Prague. 1t is bad
enough for the Bohemians to have the
Germans on two sides OF them, and
yet they have so behaved toward the
Austrians as to drive them toward
Germany and put the Germans on
three sides of them.
1t can be said these matters are of
lesser consequence, with a powerful
league of nations making war next
to impossible, but that is no reason
for confronting the league of nations
Immediately with neighborhood bick-
eriugs The league of nations is not
police court, and the type of diff
culties in central Europe are just
about the level of police court.
Bohemia is a fair example of the
narrow spirit that characterizes CEN
trail Europe. Its position is also not
complicated by any dishonesty; for the
Czechs are on the square. 1t has al
most all the raw materials 1t needs
within its frontiers, which Is an inn
portant point, if you have neighbors
as jealous and narrow as you are. 1t
has had beautiful crops. In fact,
have never seen anything like the per-
feet cultivation OF Bohemia. 1t has
almost a monopoly oftsugar. 1t has
good national spirit and it has char
acter enough to solve its Industrial
problems 1t has no district devas-
ppf - 10
that Bohemia is none too solid
Bohemia Treated Tenderly.
Why? Because it has not entered
into the game in big way 1t has not
met its neighbors in spirit of live
and let live. 1t has shown no altru-
ism. 1t has been nationally selfish,
looking out for itself and itself alone.
II needs an active commerce with it's
nelghbors, particularly Poland and
Austria, but Germany as we'll. But it
cannot get over its old injustices, and
it wants to make it's Old dominators
pay for the way they acted when they
had the power.
Iae peace conference has been ten
der with Bohemia. Take the question
of Teschen, large part of which is
undoubtedly Polish in population.
These Poles are workmen in coal
mines which belong TO Czech operators
and Bohemia needs the coal. SO the
peace conference has let the Czechs
occupy the territory that they could
claim on chronological grounds, because
they needed it inGustrlaly. At the
same time the ancient frontier of Bo-
hemia have been maintained, though
several million Germans are thus in
cuded within the Bohemian state. Ev-
e1ything has been done to give to the
Czeehs a good chance. But they are
very slow in loosening UP to their
neighbors, which is necessary If there
is to be a basis on which a league or
nations can operate.
The Poles are more adaptable
though at bottom no more worthy
people. For | should not like what |
have stated here about the Czechs
as state builders to reflect on their
personal qualities, which are admira-
bles. But the Poles know how to give
and take, and for that reason they are
getting ahead faster. The Poles have
shown great address, and they mad
problems that would have been Wen
nigh insurmountabl BILE for the less adap-
table Czechs
Poles Taking of Galioia.
The Czechs for instance, had their
state territorially made. With the
breakup Of the Austrian empire they
were SIMPLY there, that was all. There
was no doubt about their frontiers.
Germany might not like German Bo-
hcmia remaining Bohemian. but Ger
many in the midst of a complete mill
tary defeat was in no position to OBJ
tect, for we stood behind the Czechs.
Austria could do nothing, for Aus
tria had no army
With the Poles it was otherwise.
They had to reconstruct their coun-
try from three empires. Russian Po-
land was devastated by the war. The
so-called Ukrainian government
claimed most of Galician Poland, and
one of the most important sections,
Posnania, had to be taken away from
Germany-taken by force, as the Ger
mans had no intention of giving 1t up,
That was part of Germany, as con-
stituted, and was a very different mat
ter from German Bohemia, which was
in the Austrian empire. Still the Poles
got Posnania, they pulled Russian Po-
land out of a state of bordering on
Bolshevism, and they went and took
Galicia. They may not have had any
more right to Galicia than the Ukrain-
ians. but they also had no less as Ga
licia is largely Ruthenan, which is
neither Polish nor Ukrainian.
The pretentions of the Ukrainian
government to Galicia were largely
an accident If the original Ukrainian
government had been able to remain
in Kieff, Galicia would have fallen to
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