The sun., 1919-03-27
A League That Cannot stand Up
without Peace Treaty Props.

A League That Cannot stand VI
without Peace Treaty Props.
Unable to Jam his league scheme
down the throat Of the United State'
Senate, Mr.. WILSON may now desir'
to make 1t less odious to the upper
branch Of Congress and less danger
ous to the American people. He may
succeed, he may fail. Who can tell
We do not know. we cannot know
what he is capable Of doing with such
a situation or what he Is willing tc
do with II.
1t IL not like Mr.. WILSON, once he
has set out to have his own way. ia
yield an iota Of his imperlous will
either to national sentiment or to ma.
tional authority. He may not under.
stand. he may not be capable Of I'm.
derstanding, the American viewpoint
suficiently to meet It In the major
and fatal or even In the merely minor
and obnoxious defects Of his league
So we must wait yet another Ions
period to see what he can offer his
country and what his country can do
with II.
But II nobody can know now what
new turn Mr.. WILSON aims to give
his scheme or what will como Of IT,
or how long the proposed changes
must be pondered and debated. there
are some things we do know.
We DO know that. whether Mr..
WILSON'S league be made better or
remain worse, It is not and never
could properly become the prime bust
ness before the Powers which won
the war and assembled In conference
months ago on the particular mission
and In the direct purpose to end Il
with a treaty Of peaceL. Since their
delegates went to Paris they have
wasted thousands Of hours on Mr..
WILSON'S league; they have done lit
tie enough with the peace treaty.
We do know that in the very ma
turs of things-in the very circum.
stances of red riot flaming over East.
ern Europe-the peace treaty Is the
first business Of the Conference; any
league. good or bad. Is second.
We do know that a house which
cannot stand without being propped
up Is not a good property in which
to invest and not a safe place in
which to dwell. We do know that II
this league scheme or any league
scheme is 80 impracticable and doubt
fui that It can be dragged into ON.
cial being only by the power Of the
treaty It isn't good enough to de-
serve to exist at all. We do know
that II it cannot stand on its owl
merits, to-day or tomorrow or when
,e~AG it's -t'p,o may come. Il isp't worth
accepting on any terms.
We do know that all this manipu
latlng and tinkering Of the league
scheme month after month has beer
burning up time which ought to have
been spent on making peace and send
Ing war torn and famished Europt
back b work-has been burning III
time while the every day cry OF whole
countries and races has been for 0
national stability which would permi,
them to build governments; has beer
burning up time when the maddenint
need Of hundreds Of millions of PEG
pies OF the Old World has been thell
daily bread.
We do know that II any league
scheme were capable OF being mad,
the most perfect instrument tina
mortal man ever devised such worl
would burn up months and month.
more of precious time when the on.
ming. the imperative thing, is peac,
for the Allies, peace for the Centre
Powers. peace for the great nations
peace for the tribal communities strIv
ing TO struggle to their feet and stag
ger along the road 10 nationalism.
Tsik--talk on Mr.. WILSON'S leagu,