Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-06-15
NATIONAL JEALOUS|ES
IMPEDE EUROPEAN PEACE.
Correspondent Also Declares That
Greed Proves impeachment to
Welfare.
APPORTIoNING sPoILs OF WAR
Brief Review OF History Of Nations
as We'll as the Demands They
Arc Making Of Men Framing
Fact.
ny ROBERT wEl.LEs Rrrcu1E.


cordins to their political compilations:
not for these reasons ia it important
beyond overestimation.
But because this cry comes from the
heart OF all Europe-from the man who
liz carrying the load"-these four
words epitomize the great quest Of
mankind on this side OF the water at
the opening OF new era Because II
is my belief that the man and woman
who. in the snug security OF their
American home. have dismissed from
their minds all the vexed and involved
issues OF the peace conference as be-
ing extraneous to their affairs. do not,
and maybe cannot. understand the
present temper Of Europe. make this
here.
The peace treaty will have been pub
lished before this Is printed. but 1t Will
not have been sEned-thst is certain
prophecy Tho world will know, in a
vague and somewhat formless way.
how the carpenters At Paris propose to
rebuild the European house-and re-
construct lot OF outbuildngs in Asia.
Africa and the islands of the seas tina [
were levelled by the blast OF the great
war. How they propose TO re-erect
these essen,ial structures. but not
necessarily how the plans and specin-
cations Will be followed in the actual
fact Of the reassembling.
But before the fact a spirit IL abroa d
IN Europe which unquestionably will
md it's reflection in America. IL II has
Pessimlsm and Despair.
Bleak pessimism is the spirit Of
which write-pessimism dangerously
approaching synicism. in the instance
or the callous thinker. and despair on
the part Of the emotional soul. Lon
don. whittier all the lines of Europe g
news and tattle arc drawn. feels the
reflex Of this spirit from all Europe.
In Paris pessimism is professional
when IL is voiced by statesman. and
n b.
press breathes it. But to London and
out Of London itself comes this naked
and undisgu'sed wrath OF Europe s
mental agony. We who are at all sem
sitive to emotional currents in the life
about us get IL day by day. like some
poisonous mist creeping up from bog.
II is marked in the rakish smile OF
the bobbed-haired girl on the Strand;
II is stamped about the eyes OF the
man from the Office in the city. Per-
maps the correspondent even cannot he
sure that he only reflects and does not
permit anything Of himself to creep
into his report.
The cause of all this? Here's the
answer in four words:
Dissatisfaction with the peace.
How. can YOU ask. can there be gen
rral dissatisfaction with the terms at
Versailles before the treaty is pub
lished and the terms il incorporates
are known? Simple enough. Through
the underground channels of the press
holes and leading nowhere but more
often than not inspired half-truths AL
lowed to slip from interested delegates
from this and that third-rate power
nurses some correspondent for the
good that may come from him-Britain
and Europe in genera! have secured a
fair idea OF what the sum total OF the
peace will he.
The London press has not been a
whit h"nind the Rerlin press or the
Farls press in setting forth the broad
volume OF loCtoO words designed by
its authors TO be the cureali OF the
tremendous ills inflicted by the four
to get on; of tnis document to which
certain accredited gentlemen with or
without titi's are to affiX their names
is known as vel in Cettinje. Montene-
nonesssntiai details are lacking.
Fear "Scrap OF Paper"
The disappointments and dissatisfac-
tioni group themselves in two broad
lines: regret that all cupidity demanded
in the va? OF cash settlement for the
pains OF wa. shall not he realized and
--undcr'Hne all this and far graver in
character-corroding fear that the
in Paris-if it be signed at all by the
enemies OF the entente-will be no
more potent 10 turn aside new
Than Than the n9.orous scrap OF paper"
.
latter element of skepticism is by far
the greater eight thrown in the ball
ance OF Europe's pessimsm regarding
a permanent neace to follow the night
mare OF war.
Let us put /; frankly: Europe since
the time Of the Caesars has known no
policy except that of might-call it
by whatever synonym you will. Eu-
rope has just emerged from the dead
lest CONFUSION il ever experienced.
Counting the millions OF lives and the
n ha
natural increased increment of mod
ern war, Europe cannot bring itself
to consider any situation of peace
other Than one of armed balance and
the tolerance OF bayonet against bay
onet. league of nations and all the
optimistic theories OF hedglinG New
World to the contrary notwithstand-
ing.
History Of Europe.
The history OF Europe since the first
century of the Christian Era has been
that OF "expecta tons disappointed and
causes imperilled.' Read il and dis
If the European-whcther Croatian or
Pole. Czecho-Slovak or Englishman-
is going to give up the tradition OF
1000 years for a theory popularity sup
posed To he evolved by an America n.
South African Roer and an English
man: and called the league Of nations,
or the league Of the covenant.
Rather than take the nations OF Flu
rope in review and inquire into what
points they find satisfaction with the
treaty, 10: MS seize the short cut and
ask ourselves frankly what nation of
all the signatories to the Versailles
treaty-.if 1t shall he signed-shall find
itself thoroughly, or even moderately.
content with the pact to which it has
SET its Eame. ] exclude the United
states from this review because | have
been too long away from the west
side of the Statue OF Liberty. and
what read of home affairs is colored
according to the dictates OF the Eng
lish correspondent in New York.
Frances Enormous Demands.
France: Demanding an enormous
indemnity besides compensation-the
procession OF ciphers in terms OF
francs would convey no adequate mean
ing to American readers; and. besides.
this procession has been added to by
fucks OF eiphera from time TO time:
France wants the whole left bank OF
the Rhine. France says she bases her
demands on the. rock bottom. founda-
ton OF adequate, protection" against
Germany. with whom there's been a
blood OF feud, since men fought with
the shanks OF oxen.
Remember that Bismarck demanded