Norwich bulletin., 1919-03-26
FACTS AND COMMENT

nel ports with what seemed irresistible l force. The intrenchments within l which the French and British armies
 had expected to remain until the arri- val of the Americans in 1919 had melt
 ed away before the hordes of Huns. 1 The severance of tlie defenders armies, 1 the destruction of the British forces and the capture of Paris seemed but a matter of days. Then at last dire nec- essity forced the allies to do what l should have been done long before and General Foch was appointed comman- der-in- chief of all the allied armies in France. This was the real turning
 point of the whole war. Though the anxious days were by no means over, | though the fall of Mount Kemmel and
 Chateau Thierry were yet to be. the
 very name of Foch inspired the defend-
 CTS with confidence a;d all seemed to
 know that the crisis was past,
 It was almost four months before the new commander was ready to begin his
 forward movement that was to end with the expulsion of the invader. The
 disposition of the forces and the ac-
 emulation of the material necessary
 to success on the great scale that was planned were in themselves enormous
 tasks But when the great attack was
 actually launched in mid-JUly there , was no stop till the beaten foe ack-
 nowledged defeat and gave himself up } to the mercy of his conqueror. By ac- ; cepting the surrender General Foch de- {; nied himself the glory of forcing the greatest military surrender in history. Only few more days must have elapsed before the German armies
 would have been without the means of sustenance or retreat. Every one of
 these days would However, have cost ; numbers of wounds and deaths among the allied forces, and it was to avoid I these that the great leader showed himself truly great by foregoing the glory of the triumph that had so fairly been won,
 France can never forget the appre-
 hension under which she had lived from 1871 to 1914 nor the horrors or the subsequent four years. Thus her feel
 ines are easily understood when she in- sisted in the peace conference that she 7 be safeguarded against the recurrence , of these awful times. The earlier dis :, agreement between Clemenceau and Wilson arose from the formers desire
 that the proposed league of nations
 have at it's disposal an army and navy l sufficient to prevent such acts as Ger l many had been guilty of. A league y without force ready at hand did not r seem adequate nor worth while. Pres <, ident Wilson knew, however, that tht a United States could not enter into any o agreement under which the right tt make war and peace should be taker : from congress. Thus was evolved th' I league resting merely on the mutua y agreement of it's members. On pape, e it has no force at all and so it has bceI g held up to ridicule by the opponents O
 | the scheme who want no combination
 l at all. It must ever be rememberet
 ! that there iS GO power on earth saw
 only public sentiment that can compe h Great Britain or the United States t e act against their wishes. A leagu
 equipped with a military force stiff ciant to compel these great nations t v obey is inconceivablc. There remain il only moral force as the foundation T principle of international cooperation | So long as England and America ar is willing to stand together for what i e just and to cooperate in the defense 0 .c what is fair and right the world wi s remain at peace.
 n It is significant fact that in tn s very last days of the peace disCussio - at Paris Japan is no longer found with II -n the inner circle of conicrees. Tn supreme council Of ten members, tw
 from each of fl Q nations, has been re : duced until Clemenceau, Lloyd -Georg, ;- Orlando and Wilson are themselves Ge
 
 n, peace conference will Tatify. Had tn a council been reduced from ten to fiv q members, it might well have been in |" intention to expedite matters by hay ot ing :, snlG Ter body present at the dc )- Alterations. The exclusion Of Japan d apparently indicative of the fact tlla irY the aspirations of the Island Empir }f are not to be considered when the ,f conflict with the policies of Europe an
 | A erica H nrnOf '0 powerful IS Japan is and closely allie : t1 FinClaLd as she has b3eu the lc; 1T sympathy n,us;t needs exist betwoe )e the TWO { cat English -SDa,.l, ng nc D. tions upon whose continued friendsti 1t the hope of civilization rests.
 lei The possibility of writing the Monrc Is doctrine into the constitution of u 1eI league of nations is considerably ir 10 creased by Japan's absence from tt ,1 inner circles of the conference. Fac 7" nation of course had it's own pet pol ", cies that it hoped might be made fur u damental principles of the leagu or While America was strong for the d of rection of the western hemisphere I 10 Americans alone, Japan wanted ii pJ as down in black and white that all ract et were 10 he treated alike by all leagl , members. This would have involve
 granting citizenship to Orientals in 2
 nations, a policy that America ar
 Australia utterly refuse to adoI
 Again Japan might easily demand tn he if the United StateI is to be formal st recognized as having especial powe
 in America the direction of China ar
 the Pacific islands be assigned to llc UT To this last proposition neither Au or tralia TOT the United States could a ty sent. Tn fact if i5 becoming clearer |;
 the time that Japan's desires are n
 rcconcilablo with those of the rest ,S0 the conferecS. Thus it is entirely DO ne sible that England and America Wh ne making mutual concessions to ca
 other may refuse to yield in any I ,s+ Spect to Japan, in which case s '+ would be inclined to remain aloof fro
 - the league for time.
 Common 1roblems fa4a Great Br
 ain and America in these days of I nd construction growing out of their COT -e- mon experience in the struggle to sa lat civiliza ton. In both countries labor H. naturally reluctant to yield any Of t
 advantages gained under war cont
 tions. Both governments are fac Ire win the problem of conducting tn lat mines and railways to meet the ' try quirements of pedce while still payi as the wages current during the war. L
 bor'S solution in both countries is T
 tionalI Ization of these industries, in IS der t1at the difference between { ln- amount received and the greater sI the paid to labor may be made up fri yed national taxation, The bolshev
 among us would have the governmt
 confscate the plants outright alIowi II nothing to the present owners. T on- less radical advocates of governmt hat ownership would have the governm, md purchase the properties at a fair VI
 uation. These plans differ in degr not in principle. Whether or not 1