The Washington herald., 1919-04-06

%hOi huC pIcNdteut ETcnCH
opinion has 1t that Germany, sinister
and plotting as always. is using the
threat of Bolshevism as bluff to
avoid paying for the war in money,
goods and territory. Another view
more popular in the American and
British delegations sets forth that no
herman government can possibly sub
scribe to such conditions of peace as
the French desire to impose Unless n
moderate punishment without the loss
OF indisputably German territory Is
innieted, the Weimar government will
voluntarily place all power in the
hands of Spartacist group who will
strike an alliance with Moscow and
defy the entente. in the belief that II
foch invades the country they can
boishevize his soldiers.
Let Poison Work.
Whichever of these views be correct.
whether the Germans are using Boil
shevism as a bluff or not, does not
seem to matter From motives or pol
Icy. or because they cannot seem to
help themselves. the Germans are let
ting the poison work, and all ac-
counts agree that it is having the
to-be-expected effect. Ny worst enc
my wouldn't call me pro-German, but
l firmly believe that If there is any
hope of keeping Bolshevism from the
Rhine-and oy now II Is a big if-this
can only be done by giving Germany
food, work and quick Wilson peace.
o. Czecho- -Slovakia and Jugo-Sla-
via. Bolshevik movements exist in
these countries, as everywhere in
Europe. but they are weak at pres
ent. Those who predict that these
political infants will come into the
Lenine-TrotskY orbit base their
fears on propaganda and force to be
exerted by their neighbors after
those neighbors. Hungary. Austria.
Rumania. Poland and Germany. have
themselves gone Bolshevik In ad-
dition, the reported imminent Boil
sheVising OF Bulgaria may have an
effect on Serbia. II everything else
in the East turns red, the Bohe-
misns will probably hold out to the
last; the Jugo-Slavs are not so well
disposed toward Paris, because of
the long delay in the recognition of
the union of Serbia with her breth-
rem in what was Austria Hungary.
and because of the intensely bitter
quarrel with Italy. whom the Jugo-
Slavs believe to be unduly favored by
the other great powers.
Last night / dreamed that / had
slept 100 years and just awakened.
was reading an essay describing
the overthrow of the old ciyilixa-
tion following the great war. writ
ten by an Albanian historian in the
year 2O1S; the Albanians it seemed
maintaiped their independence in
their mountains against the Bolshe-
vik world. as they did for centuries
against the Turkish empire that
surrounded them.
This savant had written:
During the early part of 1913 the
statesmen of Europe and America
sought to reach a compromise that
would fulfill the old-style territorial
and economic demands of the French
and Italian representatives and at
the same time not affront American
idealism as represented by the last
great man produced by that extinct
form of government democrary-Wood-
row Wilson. For the European realized
that the military and naval support
of disinterested America was neces-
sary if a league of nations was to
prevent future wars, and moreover
they knew that with all other coun-
tries greatly in the debt of the United
States the economic friendship of that
country was essential.
Demand Of Italy.
They were unwilling. however, and
their stubbornness ultimately proved
fatal, to abate or cancel their par
ticularistic aims in return for what
Wilson offered them. Italy demand
ed her pound of flesh in Dalmatia as
guaranteed by the secret London
treaty. France insisted on annexa-
ton Of purely German territory and
indemnities to which no German gov
ernment could agree.
Wilson's contribution to the catas-
trophe was his willingness to argue
and debate month after month. while
starvation, anarchy-and despair spread
throughout the continent He even
returned to the United States. and
wasted three weeks. to discuss criti-
cism of his league of nations scheme
When the armistice was signed. all
the suffering populations of Central
and Eastern Europe, friendly as well
as enemy looked to Wilson to
to give them speedy peace and food