Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-29


the President. whose word would be
OF compelling force, says nothing, has
said nothing. If he has a plan. as it
Is necessary to believe, even in the
matter of the league of nations. the
plan remains unknown.
do not desire at this time to seem
TO criticise. l have been convinced,
and remain convinced, that the COM
ing of the President to Europe was
In itself and by itself a great contri-
button to the solution of the most diff
t1cuit problem-that of making at
least tolerable peace. We shall have,
| am sure. a better peace because
w Woodrow Wilson came TO Europe than
we should have obtained II he had
stayed at home.
Benefit of Presidents Trip.
His coming unclaimed forces Of I'M
expressed and truly inarticulate
idealism. I recall the comment of a
French servant of one of my friends.
She said, after three hours of waiting
and watching for the President:
Now that Mr.. Wilson has come there
is hope. isn't there?' Politicians are
politicians the world over TIE last
diplomat will differ very little from
the first. Both classes are IN the end
led by necessity or driven by external
pressure. Mr.. Wilson's coming set in
motion pressure from masses of
men and women in many nations
which has exercised and is exercising
a profound influence upon the plans
explored and the ends sought within
the conference.
So much has been gained, and it
Will hardly be lost. We shall harvest
very much of that crop. and, ia my
Judgment, will remain glad that the
President came; but today the world
the European world at least-finds it,
self beginning to be anxious, a shade
impatient. as it sees the hope of def
mite results postponed. l repeat, this
postponement is not due to irrecon-
cilabie difference of opinion or to
quarrels over principle or provinces
Such differences will all be settled
determined to settle them that way
The cause is apparent lack of a pro-
gramme.
1t is not. then, differences over ma
tlonal claims. it is not the demands
of France in Germany or of Italy in
Austria. which block the way linz
ponderable rather than tangible OBJ
stacles are holding us back, and chief
among these is the present status OF
the league of nations. England and
France have accepted the Presidents
double determination-first. that there
should be a league. and second that
it should be created by the treaty OF
peace rather than postponed to a later
conference. But neither England nor
France nor America, for that matter
has yet arrived at any coherent idea
OF what Mr.. Wilson's view of league
Of nations is. Has he a plan? Pre-
sumably-but no one knows. VIII he
announce it? Perhaps; but who can
say?
President Still Silent.
And SO the situation becomes mors
and more puzzling. because, like ali
human gatherings. the peace confer
ence in Paris seeks a leader. and UT
to the present hour the man whom
circumstances have marked for that
role gives no sign of thes direction
which he believes should be taken
Apart from the league of nations
the Polish and Russian problems are
most pressing. and, as recent dis.
patches have doubtless indicated a he
ginning. very small beginning has
been made in both cases. but in neithe,
case is it accurate to- say that a policy
has been adopted; rather a &nmmitfee
has been appointed. We have SETTLED
questions of precedence of mAthod
the routine dear to the heart of the
bureaucrat Is arranged. hut we are
still feeling in the dark so far as pur-
poses are concerned.
Having said this. which was perha ps
necessary report Of the situation A.
1t stands. I desire to warn my Ameri-
can readers against accepting sensa-
tional reports of growing national diff
ferences I do not think any one car
exaggerate the fundamental good feel
ing which exists in England. and In
France. incidentally in the offirta'
world. but more strikingly amid tbs
masses of the population for the PrAsi
dent. personally, and as the repre-.
sentative Of his country. We are three
distinct nations with totally differen,
manners and methods. no longer assn-
GATED in common struggle against
the enemy situation in which al
differences OF manner vanish hefore
the same conception Of duty-instA a
we are engaged in striving to exist
snd our conditions are equally hard or
both sides OF the national fences: al
the little latent prejudices come to
the surface: the heroes. alas, have be.
come quite ordinary human beings
You may hear In every corridor in
every restaurant gossip, half truths
and truths of no significance. brought
forward to prove that everything in
Paris marches toward discord and
failure.
Harmony Will Come.
But all this is the small beer Of the
thing. A peace conference is like a
national convention in our politics
Tho convention has q single function.
It must nominate a ticket: if II fails
the election will be lost Therefore.
without exception conventions n,omi-
frn1 k.xsx
every sign of COLLAPSE. There are
opening days Of rival booms and con-
dieting platform proposals. But at
q certain point harmony comes out
of discord. And it will be the same
In Paris for the same reason. The
delegates to this convention will not
attempt to go home without a treaty
of peace in their pockets.
Again, there is a superficial sense
of disappointment that conference
designed, at least in the public mind,
to bring about an enduring peace and
q new order in the world Is engaged
endiessly In the discussion OF terri
torial rfvalries and trade jealousies.
All these things are here and unmis-
taxable. but idealism is not lacking
either. Beyond all else there is q
CIGAR perception In the minds of the
ofiicial and even more in the minds
OF the unofficial representatives Of
the various nations that new spirit
Is stirring In their own constituent
cies. Expecting miracles, many may
be disappointed, but I do not believe
there is any reason to fear another
congress OF Berlin. much less another
congress of Vienna.
The day-to-day routine of the con-
ference has not vet acquired real
value. The great decisions are still
to be made; the unmistakable differ
ences remain to be ironed out All
that has been done is in a. very real
sense perfunctory, but the way in
which Ii has been done is encourag-
ing. If the conference has not yet
a ffirmatively marched in the right di-
ractinn there is no installing the fact