The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-02-19

WXgn huCIiCdp ubS Oecu hAcU up
sn on the framing of the league
tVEJH OF nations to the exclusion
S2 OF other matters of at least
equal importance, the Paris
conference has been passing through
the first serious crisis since it began
its task. This crisis was a natural
ana inevitable thing. 1t has been SER
ious within limits but 1t never threat
ened to break relations between the
various allied powers, 1t was the
cause OF much temporary misunder.
standing and not little anxiety.
The essential vice of the situation
grows out of the initial blunder which
was made by all of the nations to-
gether In the matter of Germany. At
the time of the armistice Germany was
defeated--in revolution, incapable OF
responding in military fashion. and ap.
parently threatened with a Bolshevik
uprising which very materially affect
ed the point of view of the allied
statesmen who saw with apprehension
a possible extension of Russian an
archy to Germany.
ArmIstiee Terms Incomplete.
AS a consequence, the armistice
terms were drawn incompletely. The
essential necessity of making a pro-
visicnal treaty with Germany, which
should clearly and completely outline
the terms which the allies later meant
to impose upon the German empire
was overlooked. The result was that
while the German fleet was taken, cer-
tain German territory occupied, and a
. portion of German war material de-
manded. the whole theory Of the arm
istice was based upon the idea Of
crushed Germany. threatened With an
sTc9xs e, az, yn,oe Mosla ; seassalSsas e
Foliowing the rrmiDtice Lloyd
GeofGo chose to 60 before the country
in an election which occupied an his
attention and all the attention Of the
British people. Paris was waiting for
the arrival of President Wilson and
when President Wilson came he came
committed to program which concen-
trated all the American effort on the
framing of League of Nations.
We have had. then, period of more
than three months since Germany was
beaten and quit, In which no progress
whatever has been made in the direc-
tion Of making peace with the nation
which produced this war, during which
the attention of the various nations
has been concentrated first upon do
mestic, political and economic condi-
tions, and later upon the framing of
the League of Nations, while absolute
ly nothing of a practical nature has
been done in dealing with Germany.
We stand practically where we stood
on November II, SO far as making
peace with the principal enemy and
imposing terms which must be impos-
ed upon that enemy are concerned.
Germany Pulled Together.
Now, in the course of these three
months, Germany, as pointed out the
other day, has achieved marvellous
refrigeration. She has dealt summar-
fly and completely with her Bolshev
iks. She has abolished all danger of
secession and sectional agitations. She
has pulled herself together and at
Weimar she has achieved a success
full and complete political organiza-
tion.
Each week has brought new ac-
cession of strength and confidence to
the German nation, which has escaped
alike invasion by the enemy and rev.
olution at home, and finds herself with
her factories and her cities intact,
with great military resources remain
ing to her. and perceives in Paris SUI
perficial disagreements between her
conquerers, which hold out promise
that she may yet escape from the con-
sequences of her crimes and her de
vastation, and, to put the matter very
bluntly, win the war at the peace con-
ference, having lost 1t on the battle
field.
Alone among the three great nations
represented at Paris the French have
perceived this danger of Germany at
all times. President Wilson was well
coined by the French people as an
evangel of new gospel, but in every
French mind there was clear per-
ception that the condition antecedent
to the league of nations or anything
else must be guarantee of the safety
of France against Germany, which had
four times invaded her in the last GEN.
tury and still preserved the potential
strength to repeat her earlier adven-
lures.
Feel French Cause Forgotten
Therefore 1t was natural and it was
inevitable that there should be a very
real and very deep sense of disap-
pointment and apprehension when
President Wilson, coming to Paris,
fixed all his attention and all his eff
forts on the league OF nations, seem
ing to pay little heed to the practical
and material problems necessarily
bulking so great in the French mind.
France, after four and a half years
of agony. after devastations, losses,
approximate ruin, was incapable of
approaching the question OF the re-
organization of human society from
m abstract point Of view, and increas-
ingly French public opinion felt that
the very real cause OF France was be-
ing forgotten, and that this carried
not only present disappointment, but
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