Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-01
OBSTACLES BES[7
!. PATHWAY TOPEACt
Europe. Unsettled, breads
: Return to Old Interna-
tional System.
PEOPLE NOW CROPPING
by JOHN ". BASS.
CabieGram to The Evening Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, I9IS.

Chicago Daily News. Copyright, I9IS.
PARIS. France December Sl.-The
slowness of the progress toward the
peace congress iss variously inter
preted.
First, the allies are as unpreparcd
for peace as they were for war. The
| statesmen themselves have felt un-
certain as to what method TO apply
They would have preferred no radical
changes. but the desperate financial,
| industrial and military rehabilitation
situation. combined with the phychol-
ogy of the peoples after the war,
! would not permit return 10 the oid
j international system and methods
Secondly, during the war the pro-
| ductive efficiency of every nation IN
/ Europe was diminished. consider
able percentage of the resources WAS
absorbed in reproductive labor On
the other hand the standard of wages
! of the working classes was greatly
raised. The return of the nations to
J living on their earning capacity has
been viewed with misgiving and
alarm. During the war large classes
/ of people learned to look upon the
government as being obliged to fur
oish them with support.
, Among the various nations approx
imately 5000 600 men are to be de-
:. modified and given work. These ar
mics consider that they have earned
better treatment than the great COM
munity and win unwillingly pay taxes
for the war debt. Yet they represent
the largest capacity of the nations.
May Bring League of Nations.
/ Labor problems are so unsettled to-
{ day that factories continue turning
out war material. which is perfectly
useless For this reason there has
been a gradual drift in the minds of
! the allied governments toward the
plan of closer utilization for mutual
! assistance. This may result i'll Il
league of nations.
The principal reason, however. for
the delay in the peace settlement
seems to be the necessity of finding
out whether Germany and the CEN
trail powers in the war will drift into
continuing disorder or gradually re-
/ cover their poise and re-establish
| stable government. Present events
seem to indicate that Germany is
! moving toward a long period of eff
! fervescence and perhaps extreme dis
I order The once hard and fast system
! of German governments and institu-
| tions has been broken, leaving the
German people rudderless. so that dis
, Interrogation is apt to set in Owing
to the enormous obligation incurred
/ by Germany to the allies as the re-
suit of the war, the situation may
| lead to the military occupation of
that country by the allies.
President Sounding Sentiment.
ling the allied governments on the gem
eral principles of settlement in order
| TO enter the conference with an
agreed basis for peace of a general
character. Meanwhile the rush of
tevents is crowding the allies for i'm
mediate decision on important situa-
tions. A month and half has
elapsed since the arinsstice was sign
4 ed. and nothing much has been ac-
complished toward revictualing the
populations of Poland. Austria and
Germany. National commissions
1 from the different allies are on their
way or have arrived in Vienna, War
saw, Berlin and other centers to de-
| opinion exists among the allies con-
corning the necessity of action in this
matter. All realize that famine
breeds disorder, and bolshevism in
central Europe is real and terrible
danger for the allies. The difficulty
in this matter has been on unimpor-
! tant details of organization of an
l almost personal character. There has
been q tendency to sidetrack the old
| International war committees which
during three years have efficiently as
sisted in the revictualment of the al
Ilied nations in different products.
These commissioners are the shipping
council and program committees for
determining the minimum needs of the
allied countries.
| France, Great Britain and Italy
have found these commissions eX-
! celIent means for negotiations. The
4 idea of the American authorities has
| been to abolish these commissions.
thus obiiterating an important means
of Understanding between the United
States and her allies.
Commissions May Continue.
1 Luckily. it is now thought that
President Wilson has seen the mis-
take of such a policy and thar the in
terallied commission will continue as
a part of the organizations to pre-
pare for permanent peace. These
| commissions had prepared plan for
| revictualing Poland, Austria and Ger
many. This plan was thrust aside
by the American food controller. The
allies were willing to accept Mr..
\ Hoover as a food dictator as he de-
sires. but they wish to have an in
ternational advisory council to help
him composed of those men who have
had experience in negotiations on the
interallied commissions.
| In the meantime one and one-half
precious months have elapsed in which
we might have endeavored TO prevent
the progress of confusion and disor-
der in central Europe. Hunger seems
| to be pushing Poland and Austria
toward bolshevism. and Germany is
likely to follow. At present there
are better prospects of settlement.
and the indications are that the allies
and America will develop a more suit
able organization for rapid and sat
isfactory negotiations. 1t is only
natural that the peace organization
! which came over with President Will
son has not yet had time to be COM
ulete1V whiDnpd intp shane More
over, it is inevitable that many of our
Representatives should just learn
much concerning the subtle differ
ences of the relationship which exists
between Europe and America. These
differences are based upon national
and governmental traditions of CEN
turtles and must be taken into con-
sideration in such close negotiations
as will produce peace OF world
! unity.