Omaha daily bee., 1919-01-31

from the acts of men made desper
ate by hunger and despair Othel
methods, too, must be adopted tc
prevent the spread Throughout
Europe of the social disease known
as bolshevism.
The peace conference, at the very
outset of its deliberations, has
fiinched in dealing with that menace
It means to establish a congress OF
small nations, yet it has not drawn
up the resolution to send much
needed help to Poland, the best bull
wark against boishevism.
Local jealousies and conflicts OF
those ambitions and resentments
which are strongest in the small and
weak will develop among the newly
created nations. They can only Be
kept in check by the forces Of the
great powers,
Pofers Dictate Justice.
NJ. Clemenceau, on the same day
that witnessed the adoption of the
resolution to create the league of
nations, replied sternly to the rep
resentatives of the small nations who
had protested against inadequacy of
the representation accorded to them
upon the various commissions Gre
ated by the conference to consider
and report on important questions
affecting their welfare, saying:
"We cannot accept the suggestion
that any commission shall have the
right to dictate to the FIVE great
powers"
1t was a blunt revelation of the
fact that the great powers are form
ulating and propose to pronounce
the terms upon which the peace of
the world is to be established and
by which the fate of the small ma
tions shall be determined.
They will be accorded that JUS
tice which the five great powers
agree to be justice, where they are
concerned.
America will share with Great
Britain, France, Italy and Japan the
responsibility of insuring the fulfill
ment of the settlements that shall
be made. .rs.
Americas Responsibility.
The people of America must real
ize that henceforth they are commit
ted to more than merely an academ-
ic participation in the affairs of the
world; that American khaki-clad SOL
iiers, hereafter, may be found guard
ing the shores of the Bosphorus, the
banks of the Danube or the slopes of
the Atlas mountains, if the United
States shall disregard her obliga-
tons as a mandatory of the league.
That is, if bolshevism and the timid-
ity of the FIVE great powers in deal
ing with it at this time shall drive
Russia into the arms of Germany
Or submerge Poland, the league of
nations, within another decade, may
find itself at war with the United
Teutonic and Slavic world in new
titanic struggle.
1t is the first step that counts.
We have apparently taken step
from which we cannot retrace. What
its consequences may be no man
now may foretell, but the details of
he league constitution, when report
ed, must be scrutinized with exceed
ng care to make sure that we are
committed to no greater responsible
ty for the regulation of continents
other than our own than the hon
Orable consequences of our partici-
patton in this war may exact. -
Horror at Barbarism.
The Matin this morning publishes
an inspired article written to DEM
the proposition that when
he united in the invitation extended
BY the peace conference to the boil
as we'll as all other parties
exercising or seeking to exercise au-
.hority in Russia, President Wilson
lid not mean to alter his sentiment
Of profound aversion to those an
To sustain this thesis there is
printed the text of hitherto unpub-
ished communication sent Septem-
Der "a, last, by the secretary of state
10 the representatives of the United
States in Europe, in which it is set
'orth that the United States govern
nent had received from reliable
sources information showing that
oeaceable citizens of Moscow, Pet
,ograd and other Russian cities were
being made the victims of an
lvowed campaign of terrorism and
we're being sent enmasse to places
Of execution.
Asked Concerted Action.
The government of the United
States, feeling it no longer possible
10 remain silent and not being able
% resist the expression of the hor-
-or which it felt concerning these
lets of terrorism. declared that all
civilized nations must proclaim their
lorror at such barbarism.
The American representatives, to
whom this note was addressed, were
therefore, instructed to inquire of
he governments to which they were
if they were disposed to
i'enFe.TF" paaIs