The Benson signal., 1919-04-05
Hungary in Grip of BoIshevism
and Other Parts of Central
Europe in Ferment.
PEACE DELEGATES STARTLED
Speed Up Work on the Treaty, Which
Germans Say They Will Not Sign
League of Nations Covenant
Being Amended.
By EDWARD W. PIcKARD.

Matters in Europe last week moved
swiftly toward climax. Bolshevism
was gathering itself for it's greatest
efforts, and made start in that way
| that alarmed the civilized world. It
| fastened it's clutches on Hungary, or
at least on the government and on
Budapest, the capital, and soviet rule
was established in place of the repub-
| lie that was headed by Count KarOlyi.
Revolution broke out in Galicia, start
| ing in the oil districts; soviet gov
ernment was set up, the Lemberg
soviet declared a general strike, and
Polish troops sent to combat the rev.
sarabia was proclaimed a republic and
It's directorate began military opera
tions against Roumania'S army, de-
eeating a part Of it. The Bessarabian
movement undoubtedly was directed
by the Russian bolsheviki and support
ed by the Ukrainians, the idea being
to establish communication between
Moscow and Budapest by breaking
| through ROumania. Efforts to turn
Czecho- -Slovakia and German Austria
over to the bolsheviki have been so
far unsuccessful. y
Frank critics Of the peace confer
ence lay the blame for much of this
on those idealists who undertook to
remodel the entire world and bring
about the millennium at once in
stead of first making peace and per-
mitting the belligerent nations to re-
sumo the ordered activities of civil
lied existence. That the gentlemen
their error is apparent in their present
haste to complete the peace treaty
and have it signed. They will, accord
ing to reports at the time Of writing,
include in the treaty formal state
ment concerning the league of nations,
because Germany will be required by
the treaty to surrender her colonies
to mandatOries of the proposed
league, but it is not unlikely that the
adoption of the full constitution of the
league will be deferred. The first
treaty, which was being considered
last week by Wilson, Lloyd George,
Clemenceau and Orlando, it was said,
was sufficiently firm in its terms to
insure a lasting peace, would simplify
the international food problem and
pave the way for industrial and
financial reconstruction. The princi-
pal aims of the proposals under con-
sideration were: (1) To insure ample
security for the future protection OF
France especially on her eastern
frontier; (2) to establish a strong
Italy, with formidable northern bar
-ier against aggression; 90 to create
strong Poland; (4) to found a league
of nations pledged on material as
well as mora grounds, to the preser-
walton of world peace.
The "big four" as they are called
In Paris, were said to have decided to
make peace with all four of the enemy
nations at once. This plan presents
some difficulties, one of the least Of
which is the fact that the United
States never was at war with Turkey
and Bulgaria. Most troublesome will
be the fair assessment of the pre-war
debts of those two nations and of
Austria Hungary among the various
provinces. and tho fixing of the
boundaries they must accept.
1t jB believed Germany's new bound
aries have been virtually fixed by the
peace delegates, though no announce
ment has been made. A financial
commission has been working fast to
settle the reappOrtiOnment of Ger
many's public debt, the question Of