The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-01
ENEMY MUST
Be STRIPPED
OF POWER TO
SAVE FRANCE
Up to Present Time Germany
is Victor Declares Simonds
Should Kill Roots Of Mill
tarism.
MUST PAY FOR WAR

sUOVu ~ VII VHbi
Copyright. 1915. by The Mcclure News.
paper Syndicate)
BY FRANK n. SiMONDS.
PARIS, March Mot infreQuently
IN the past month there has been II
Paris an expression of thought that
perhaps Germany will win the war aft
er all. The reason for this opinion
which must seem very strange to the
remoter American audience may be
found in any examination of progress
and conditions Of the Peace Confer
ence up to date, and in the present
article am going to try to set forth
something of the view to be found
here as to what must be done If the
war Is not to be lost for 1t is essen
tial to recognize that we are still al
war with Germany and that Germany
has so far come practically immune
out of the great conflict. She has
been In a large measure disarmed. II
is true, but with the cessation Of hos
tilities she finds herself deprived OF
weapons for which she has no use
and still supplied with implements OF
peace, for which she has immediate
use. while France, for example, finds
herself greatly increased in military
weapons no longer of value, but still
lacking in all the machinery of agri.
culture and of production. The great.
est single danger that one fears at
Paris now is lest the peoples who
have fought the war shall be decided
now by the idea that the League of
Nations covenant, which is really only
n rough sketch is not only a treaty
of itself, but the guarantee of the
preservation Of peace In the future.
Obviously it Is now nothing but a
collection Of words not even yet adopt
ed by any official body in any of the
allied countries or by the Peace Con-
ference itself.
To understand the problem of
peace, the real problem of peace with
Germany, it is necessary to go back
for moment to the situation of Eu-
rope and of the rest of the world in
July, 1914, when Germany launched
her great attack upon civilization for
the purpose of achieving world DOM
nation. At that time, Europe was
more or less evenly divided into two
great alliances, the Triple Alliance of
Germany, Austria and Italy, and the
Triple entente of France, Russia and
Great Britain, in which Russia and
France only were actual allies.
Russia an Enenmy.
This was the balance Of power.
Theoretically, both groups were so
nearly equal in strength that neither
could venture to risk war, with at
least half chance of defeat.
But now, after four years and half
,I.ox t. l. Ia do
the greatest military force in the
Triple Entente, has disappeared in
chaos, but such elements Of power and
organization as exist still In that
chaos are in tho main friendly to Ger
many and ready to cooperate with
Germany. The Triple Entente Of 1914,
then, has not only lost Russia, but
has seen Russia in some measure
change sides and become an enemy
with her vast potential resources not
unlikely to become German assets in
the future.
To balance the downfall of Russia
we have the collapse Of Austria; but
Austria was never one-tenth as i'm
portant factor in the Triple Alliance
as Russia was In the Triple Entente.
and already we see the Germans of
Austria seeking to unite themselves
with Germany; and 1t is patent that
some similar alliance will be sought
by the Hungarians as result Of
changes to be made in Hungarian
territory through the liberation of the
Slavs and Roumanians. Thus more
than twenty millions Of Austrian sub
jects will remain associated with Ger
many, and it was precisely this ele-
ment which supplied the main aid
Germany could obtain from her Haps-
burg Associate. Germany has thus
saved almost half Of Austria, while
the lilies have not only lost all Of
Russia but have seen Russia march
ing towards a new alignment with
Germany.
,talla's Commercial Interests.
Now, by contrast, Italy has asso-
ciated herself with Great Britain and
France, but before the war Italy was
economically as we'll as politically
penetrated by Germans. There was
no profound bitterness between the
Germans and Italians, even during the
present war; and there exists for the
future no real basis for jealousy now
that Italy has achieved refrigeration
of the Austrian-Italian population.
Italy's present sympathies are un-
questionably with Great Britain and
France; but Italy's commercial inter
ests in the future, even more than in
the past, will be with the Central
Powers as result of geographical
conditions. 1t is possible to exagger-
ate the Italian danger. but 1t is hardly
possible to exaggerate 1t If the con-
ference at Paris fails to give Italy
that Dalmation prize promised her at
the moment when she came into the
war by both Great Britain and France,
and exactly this is threatened through
the influence Of President Wilson.
1t comes down, after all to this:
That Germany has abolished Russia,
and not simply abolished her but pre-
pared the way for future German eco
Eomic, political and perhaps even mil
itary predominance in that vast area
which was once the Romanoff empire.
She has saved for her own influence
out of the wreck Of Austria fractions
which were alone of very great i'm
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