Evening journal., 1919-03-04

standard American patriotism that the
starvation OF Austrians causes one no
pangS; but the trouble is that while
we are starving them, we put ourselves
/ in an uncOmmonly good way Of starV-
ing too. The terms Of the armistice are
the terms Of the secret treaties; no
stream Of elevated yolubillty from
/ Paris can dislodge that fact. I'm their
yoracious cagerness 10 enforce these
| terms. the Allied p0wers-Or should
one now say The league Of nations-is
in The predicamcnt Of the boa which
enters a rabbit-hole, swallowed the
rabbit. and could not get out again
without d'Sgorging 10. The Guardian
calls attention 30 the ineXOrablc fact
that the potential demand of the enemy
states is now the governing factor in
| Industry; and that until merchants and
manufacturers in the Allied countries
know what the enemy states including
Russia are going 20 buy. they cannot
possibly forecast the course OF prices.
and business comes tO a standstill I'VE
here in Manchester" continues the
Guardian. understand that only too
well. The blockade is hitting the Brit
ish business man. 10 is hitting the Brit
ish workman, il Is hitting the British
soldier 10 then crisply and accurate
ly characterizes The blockade as one
which cultivates "a highly infectious
Bolshcvism, cripplcs Industry, multi
plies unemployment and checks de-
mobilization.
Every item in tho forecast Of these
three papers, The Guardian, the oh
server, and the Journal de Geneve,
every prophecy that they intimated as
long as the first week in January, has
come to pass.
We have an noticed the reappe9rancc
of the Sparlacan movement i'm Germany
and its disturbing prcpondcrancc in the
industrial districts. we had on sunday
the report Of "a fierce outbreak in Ba-
v0ria following the assassination OF
Kurt Eisner. Unemployment is every
where. and with IL the irresponsible
desperation that idleness aud misery
promote; and not only is this true Of
the enemy countries. but 10 is true Of
England, true of France and Italy. true
Of the United states. We recommend
this view of the matter 10 The careful
consideration Of American business in
terests as an peaking quite
plainly-of an utterly unscrupulOus in
sistencc on carrying out The terms Of
the secret treaties. While the Paris
Conference is drafting political memor-
anda with its left hand, il is enforcing
the secret treaties with IFS riglIt-and
this is the result.
Either President Wilson Is aware Of
the incidence of the armistice terms or
he Is not. If he is. the merchants and
manufacturers Of America can con-
gratulate him neither upon his states
manship nor upon his sense Of para
mount duty II he is not, they can
only comment on the extraordinary eX-
clusivencss of his preoccupations. Even
the senate, in its laudable anxiety
about the spread Of Bolshevism, might
venture 10 remind him Of the highly
dangerous influence Of Allied policy
upon the whole course Of American
business in its relations with the prop
ertyless dependent class. The practical
process Of enforcing the terms Of the
secret treaties puts a dead weight on
reconstruction. throws price-making
into chaos, slows down the resumption
Of all industry and produces unemploy-
ment ten times faster than any pa
ternalistic makeshift can take care Of
IL. Whatever ilustions Prftdent
Wilson may permit himself about the
relative Importance Of this immediate
and highly practical conditions, the in
dustrial and commercial interests OF
America, at any rate, should indulge in
none