The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-02-22

about Germany. Three months after
Germany surrendered, we have been
still going on from week to week and
month to month, permitting Germany
to regain her strength, her courage n
return to her old pathways, while allied
morale has been weakening. 1t has
been discovered at last that 1t was
not enough to say to the Poles, Rise
from the tomb of two centuries of
slavery and become at once a united
nation when all the forces OF boche
and Bolshevik were combined to pre-
vent this thing; and at last something
has been done for Poland.
But it is a fact that can not be too
frequently emphasized that ~protraction
Of peace negotiations, however ines
capable, is producing a condition Of un-
rest in the minds OF the victorious ma
tons, leading to a weakening Of their
strength at precisely the moment when
the German enemy, having passed
through a period of detection and de-
preston, but finding herself with her
cities undestroyed and her factories un-
disturbed, is daily and hourly improv-
ing her morale,
The great hope must be now that,
draft Of lie league of nations, and
having taken a Cleac II short step In
the matter Of Poland, the peace con-
ference will now pass from the domain
Of Utopia to the area of Mitteleuropa.
One can not too frequently emphasize
the fact that of itself the league Of
nations Is nothing, that words in a
covenant have no power or force Of
themselves. II the league Of nations
is a group Of countries prepared to
use their collective resources to restore
health to Europe by eliminating zach
OF the open sores which were subject
nationalities, If the league of nations
is an alliance nf Hhara1 nnruaru "A
pared to put the weight Of its artil-
lery as veil as it's words behind those
small peoples whom II is
to national existence, then, and in that
measure, it Is something, but not 9TH
erwise.
We have discovered clearly that while
1t Is possible to bid the Bolsheviki to
go to Prinkipo and to invite the Poles
to lift themselves by their bootstraps
into national existence and bestow fe-
licltous words on the Czecho- Slovaks,
the result is not progress toward peace,
put an ever-growing extension OF the
area of anarchy. Outside Of Europe we
have recognized this fact in principle
by creating manufactures for Asia Minor
and Central Africa; but 1t is utter
absurdity to create manufactures In
Africa and abandon Poland, Rumania
and Jugo-Slavia to their own tate.
IT Is perfectly clear that II we can
- " 4 Sloliu W HOluUuguUV 10 NU.UUU.UUU
people, and that II the weight of the
league of nations is sufficient 10 give
that state time to order itself, time to
become a country at once suppressing
Bolshevism within and repulsing inVa-
sion at its frontiers. at no distant time
n more considerable self-sustaining
nation will be added to league Of nations
with so much additional force to aid
in application of the principles Of the
league. But In Poland, in Jugo-Slavia.
perhaps in Bohemia, there will be an
intermediate period between verbal lib
Grafton and actual achievement of ma
ttonal existence, and In that period 1t
will require the force of the league of
nations to protect the new Poland, and
the same Is true in many other countries.
Prime Minister Hughes, Of Australia,
said a true word recently when he
pointed out that the league Of nations,
Of itself a document, changed nothing
and emphasized the peril hat would
flow from the belief that a mere coilec-
ton of words in a covenant would
transform the face Of the world. The
league of nations cannot delegate to
individuals powers the duty Of becoming
manufactures for the respective states
the case of Poland has proved, II the
allied powers which are to constitute
the league Of nations are not prepared
to use force, no words will prevail.
For three months we have been using
words with the Germans in the matter
of Poland, but only nov have we told
them that unless they desisted on their
eastern frontier we should put in mo-
ton our armies along the Rhine. Con-
fronted with this statement the Ger
mans will permit the creation Of Po-
land, of Bohemia, but not otherwise.
Will the lesson, too, be lost?
Copyright, 1919, by the Mcclure News
DaDer SynQicatel