The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-07-11


tered into without thought what the peo-
pies concerned might wish or profit
by. and these could not always be honor
ably brushed aside. 1t was not easy To
graft the new order Of ideas on the old.
and some Of the fruits of the grating
will, I fear, for 4 time he bitter. But
with very few exceptions. the mon VIII"
sat with US at tho peace table desired
as sincerely as we did to get away from
the bad influences. the iltcEitimatc pur-
poses, the demoralizing ambitions, the
interested counselS and eXpcdientS out
Of which the siniSters designs or Ger
many had sprung as Il natural growth. II
had been our privilege To formulate the
principles which were accepted as the
basis Of the peace, but they had Been
accepted, not because we had come In TO
hasten and assure the victory and insist
I'd upon them, but because they were
, readily acceded to aS tho principles 10
! which honorable and enlightened minds
everywhere had been bred. They spoke
the conscience OF tho world as we'll as
the conscience Of America, and l am
happy t. pay my tribute Of respect and
gratitude to the able. forwards looking
men with whom II was my privIlcEo-to
cooperate for their unfailng spirit Of
commodate the interests they represent
cd to the principles we wer" all agreed
upon. Tho difficulties. which were many.
lay in the circumstances. not after the
men. Almost without exception tina
men who had caught the true and full
vision Of the problem Of peace as MIN
divisable whole. 4 problem not Of mere
adjustments OF interest, but Of justice
. and right action
The atmosphere in which tho confsS.
ence worked seemed created not by tho
ambitions OF strong governments but by
the hopes and aspirations OF small ma
lions and OF peoples hitherto under
bondage to the power that victory had
shattered and destroyed. TWO great en-
pires had been forced into political bank
ruptcy and we were the receivers. Our
task was not only 10 make peace with
the central empires and remedy thHIr
wrongs had done. The central empires
had lived in open violation of many or
! the very rights for which the war lad
been fought. dominating alien peoples
over whom they had no natural RICH, TO
rule, enforcing. not obedience. bu;
veritable bondage. exploiting those who
| were weak for the benefit OF those who
were masters and ovcrlnras only fy
force Of arms. There could be no peace
until the whole order Of central Europe
was set right
That meant that new nations were 70
| be crcated-Poland. CZcch-Slovakia a,
Hungary itself No part Of ancient Po-
land had ever in any t7ue sense become
a part Of Germany. o-/of Austria, or or
J Russia Bohemia was alien in every
thought and hope 70 the monarchy OF
! which she had so long been an artihcial
part; and the uneasy partnership be-
, tween Austria and Hungary had been
one rather Of interest than knsh!p or
sympathy. The Slavs whom Austria had
chosen TO force into her empire on the
, south were kept TO their obcd 'ence by
nothing but fear. Their hearts were
with their knsmen in the Balkans.
These were all arrangements Of power
not arrangements Of natural union or
association. 1t was the imperative task
Of those who would make peace and
: mako II intelliEently to establish new
order which would rest on the free
! choice OF peoples rather than upon the
arbitrary Of Hapsburgs or Hohcnzol-
! lerns.
| More than that. great populations
| bound by sympathy and actual kin 10
! Rumania were also linked against their
! will to the conglomcrate Austro-Hun-
! garian mosarchy or to other alien sew
! ereignties. ana il was part or the task
! Of peace to make a new Rumania as
we'll as a new Slavic state clustering;
about Serbia
| And TO natural frontiers could be
found to these new fields Of adjustment
and redemption II was necessary to
look constantly forward TO other related
tasks. The German colonies were to be
disposed Of. They had not been govern
cd; they had been exploited merely.
! without thought OF tho interest or even
the ordinary human rights Of their IN
, hahtants.
The Turkish empire. moreover, had
fallen apart as the Austro-Hungar1an
had. 1t had never had any real unity
1t had been held together only by piu-
less. inhuman forces. Its peoples crieo
aloud for release. for succor rom un-
ispeakable distress for all that the new
day of hope seemed at last 10 prins
within it's dawn. People hitherto in ut
ter darkness were to be led out into the
same light and given at last helping
hand. Jndevelopcd nations and peoples
ready for recognition but not ready 10
assume the full responsibilities Of state
hood were to be given adequate guar
antees of friendly protection, guidance
and assistance.
And ont of the execution OF these
ereat enterprises Of liberty sprang op-
,portunities to attempt what statesmen
had never, found in the way before TO
do: an opportunity TO throw safeguards
about the rights Of racial. national and
religious minort!cs by solemn interest
covenant; an opportunity to limit AND
regulate military establishments. while
they were most likely to he rtsch!eVous
land systematic Observation-Disclosures ~er
waterways and railways which were
necessary to the free economic life OF
Imore than one nation and to clear many
OF the normal channels OF commerce OF
unfair distractions Of law or OF pr1V1l-
Iege: and the very welcome opportunity