Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-03

adequate army are endeavoring to es-
tablish possession of disputed regions
on three sides of Russian Poland and
Galicia. which constitutes the nu-
cleus Of the new Polish state. The
Poles desire Eastern Galicia to in
clude Lemberg, which is in the
Ukraine and the disputed province Of
Cholm. in Little Russia.
To the northeast the Poles desire
to have Wilma recognized as Polish
Both the Iithuanians and the Boil
sheViki have raised claims to Wilma,
the Bolsheviki supporting their pre-
tensions by a menacing military Of
fensive. The Poles are contending
against the Germans not only for
German Silesia and Posen and West
Prussia, as provinces populated chief
~ by Poles but also for the city OF
Danzig SO as to provide Poland with
direct access to the sea. Should the
Poles have Danzig East Prussia would
be cut off from the rest of Germany
and would remain populated by Ger
mans surrounded by Polish doTnin-
ions.
BELGICM-Belgium asks that her
reparatlon for damages wrought By
Germany shall be the first lea upon
German assets 10 the extent of at
least l5,60O, coo 900 francs up to much
larger sum if crrnany does not return
the machinery and tie materials TAX
en- from Belgium. belgium believe;
+. that she should be raid first because
she was the first to be invaded. be-
cause her neutrality was violated and
because She suerel more from in
NaSion than ony other country in the
war. Belgium Which has reassertau
her independence and thus energies
from her old state Of neutrality, de
sires from Holland the left bank IF
the Scheldt and the peninsula Of
! Masstricht which penetrates into the
Belgian limburg. The Belgium also
will ask a plebscite in Luxembourg 10
decide whether that country wishes d,
join Belgium or France or to retain
its autonomy.
The foregoing may be considered
the extreme claims of Belgium. The
come into conflict with Holland which
resists any infringement of the front
iers asked for by the Belgian anncxa-
t,onlsts. Tho government Of Hollan nj
appears willing to revise the Scheldt
navigation treaty so that Belgium
should enjoy equal rights with Ho!-
land
JAPAN-Japan enters the peace
, conference as Baron akimo the sem
Tor delegate. has said with no ter
ritorial ambitions in hina and that IS
for the province Of Tsu she will haal
il l1nl. Va 10 -
the notes exchanged between China
and japan May 1915"
This is interpreted by Japan permit
ting her to retain certain former Ger
man concessions on the Shantung
peninsula. Japan, Baron Maxine
explains, neither intends nor desires
to interfere in Russian aairs but is
willing if solicited to aid Russia IN
restoring order"
These declarations dispose Of Two
OF the main questions in which Japan
is interested except that she desires
to retain the southern Pacific Islands
north of the equator which formerly
belonged to Germany
CHlNA-Thc chief claims asked
that they are to be guaranteed from
foreign aggression and desire that
Gradual abolition Of Consular rights
and to be allowed to impose higher
duties on importations. The Chinese
! also ask Tor he return of kiau-Chad.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. APP
pears to be the only neutral state
which has so far presented Ter de-
sires to the peace conference. The
Swiss government has represented
that while Switzerland would lie glad
to participat in a league of nations,
because Of her mixed nat;oralitics
she could not 70 so if it should mean
tie use of her troops in policing the
world by force, against Italy France
or Germany. Switzerland desires an
outlet to the sea by making the
Rhine q neutral stream. 1t is in ac-
cord With French desires since if
Alsace- Lorraine becomes French
from Basic northward and all indie
/ pendent buffer state should be erect
ed out of the Palatinate and Rhenish
Prussia as suggested by Marshal
Toch, it would be necessary to neu-
tralZe the Rhine. If this We're done
it would give Switzerland an outlet
to the sea.
SCANDANAVIA-T territorial
aspirations of the three Scandinavian
powers are considered modest. Den
mark wishes to annex that part of
northern Schleswig inhabite ire
dominantly by Danes and has not
asked to regain the provinces of
SchesWig and ITolstein taken from
Denmark by Prussia in the war of
1864, or to extend her frontiers south
| ward to the kiel Canal.
Norway has certain aspirations to
SpitzberSen or a part Of it but is not
pressing these claims theoretically.
a strong Socialist movement in
Sweden favors the union with Swcd-
en- of the Aland Islands which are
regarded by the Swcdes as the naval
! key 10 Stockholm. Swedish interests
, in this connection are in conflict with
those of Finland. Sovereignty over
the islands has belonged to Finland
since the fall Of the Russian imperial
government. Nothing has been heard
since the collapse of Germany of
earlier Finnish plans to secure an
outlet by the annexation of parts of
Russian Carelia. lying between Fin
land and the Thurman coast and
even Of adjacent Finmark. which
belongs to Norway. This contention
on the part of Finland led to the
landing of allied troops at Murmansk
| to prevent the establishment of a
German submarine base in the Nor
, tEern seas.
The dale gates Of the five powers