Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-04-02
DEFEAT OR ANARCHY
MAY FACE ALLIES
ON PEACE TERMS
Rather Than Yield Germany
Will Openly Lead
BOlsheviki
WAR MAY BE RESULT
This May Be Blessing in Disguise
If it Forces the Peace Council
to Take Action

PARIS, March 31--The situation
has become extremely critical, but
developments in Hungary may yet
turn out to be a blessing in disguise
if they force the Paris Council to
take the fences (which they have been
baking at ever since they first met.
We have been told for many weeks
past that one of the great dangers
and difficulties of the situation would
be that if, when ready to conclude
peace, the Allies might find no gov
ernments with which to sign treaty.
This is precisely the threat made by
the events at Budapest which. even
if they be to a certain extent arti-
fetal, are bound to have their infiu-
ence in Germany itself.
The German government appears
already to be thoroughly aware of
the frailty Of it's position and the
despatch of Karl Kautskyf to-. ne
gotiate with the Bolsheviki is an
act which will most certainly encour-
age the Spartacan elements in the
country.
Moreover the effect of Hungari-
an Bolshevism in and along the East
ern frontiers of the Allies in Poland
and in Rumania is bound to be felt,
now that Count Karolyi has thrown
up the sponge, and the positions of
the Rumanians and Poles is certain
to become every day more difficult
unless something is done, and done
quickly, by the Allies to help them.
Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria cannot
afford to look indifferently upon this
bound forward of Soviet ANARCHY,
which has really burst as a bomb
shell in the comparatively peaceful
atmosphere of the Peace Conference.
One thing is certain, and whether
or not the Hungarian movement has
been organized by German agents
makes no difference, the outbreak is
going to strengthen Germany's hands
enormously when she comes to the
last card of blackmail and offers the
Allies the choice of defeat instead OF
victory, OF of seeing Germany assist
Bolshevism in a last desperate effort
to recover her lost supremacy by put
ting herself at the head of the Rus
sian movement and threatening the
Western Europe with a struggle as
long and as determined as that which
followed the French Revolution. Such
are the possibilities which are being
discussed.
Just as in the United States there
has been a campaign which repre-
sents Great Britain as having COM
pletely got the better of President
Wilson, so in France there is grow
ing popular desire to find out who
is responsible for the delay TINS
is naturally a difficult task, for the
truth of the matter probably is that
no man and no country is directly
at fault; that it is the whole method
of work and the whole mentality OF
the Conference, which postpones de-
cision and render courage impos-
sible.
One of the great causes of pessi-
mism at the present moment is un-
doubtedly to be found in the exag-
gerated secrecy with which peace is
being prepared. Presumably, the
Germans will have to be told about
it sooner OF later. and the disadvant-
ages of sane publicity now surely out
weigh the dangers.
The Council Of Ten is still consid-
ering how to get the Polish troops