Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-06-23
THE END OF THE WAR

It is hardly surprising to be informed that the Ger
man national assembly by a vote of 27 to 1873 has de-
cided to sign the peace treaty offered by the Allied and
associated victorious powers, for although a number of
indications have pointed toward rejection, it was pretty
clear to close observers that all the protesting gestures
of the Germans merely meant that they did not like the
peace terms at all, but that when the period of grace
was about to expire, they would submit because. mail
reason, there could be nothing else to do.
In main, the conditions of peace have become
known, and while some changes were made in the orig
inal draft. they do not appeal to be essential enough to
change the impression which Clemenceau voiced when
on May Z he said that it was a good peace. In this. the
vanquished nation naturally disagrees and could not be
expected to do anything else at this time, so<she word
has gone out from Germany that it is a bad peace. an
unjust peace-a peace that means strangulation Of the
entire country.
But some day even Germans will realize that when
Clemenceau used the adjective. good, in this connection
he meant also that it was a just peace. Temporarily
Germans will protest against such an Interpretation of
the spirit expressing itself in,the pages of that neat little
volume which contains the terms, but as vision becomes
clearer, it wilk dawn upon all the world that only a stern
peace could be good and just.
In the discussion of the war and the beginning of
the immense conflict sight should not be lost of the fact
that not only did Germany wish and cause the wal, but
that she also opposed every attempt to avert it. 1t
should be recalled at this hour how Sir Edward Grey's
proposal for q conference to settle the Austro-Serbian dis
pute in the last days of July, 1914. met with an absolute
rejection on the part of the Berlin government while all
other powers involved were willing to exchange views on
the matter before it became too late. we still have the
evidence Of Prince Lichnowsky to show how absurdly
easy it had been for Germany to stay the mighty tide of
war-but Germany did not want to stay the tide-Ger-
many wanted war.
To many minds this W the greatest crime az Ger
many, and undoubtedly it has weighed as, heavily as
atrocities and treachery in the considerations Of the
statesmen whose mission it was to outline the terms upon
which the authors Of the world war might obtain peace.
1t was necessary, therefore. that a good and, Just
peace must be stern; it was necessary to put the defeated
foe in such a place of ab3ect humiliation that the example
would carry It's tremendou. lessons to the nations OF the
earth for centuries to come; in other words, it was i'm
peratively necessary that a peace without compromise
was agreed upon. That has been accomplished in spite
of protests and classification, and it is possible that the
signatures REQUIRED will have been affixed to the peace
treaty when these lines are read.
The return Of peace will mean resumption Of normal
conditions; friendly relations will be, at least, on5cially
restored between Germany and the nations on the Allied
side: commercial transactions will once more be entered
into between Germany and other countries, and economic
life In general will benefit from the change for which
everyone has been waiting for years-for long and sor-
rowful years. -
But even though the worlds life soon will 60 on
much as before the summer of 1914, much, bitterness will
be left, much weariness and many. many regrets It
will not be quite the same world as before, and human
iy will think more Of its ideals, Of the spirituality of life,
than it has done before: The war has made the world
more serious-and years will elapse before the smile that
died can be revived,