Evening star., 1919-05-13
BY FRANK ii. SIMONDS.

, PARIS. May 11.-There is natu
raj but dangerous tendency to regard
the announcement of the terms of
peace, SO far as they affect Germany.
as making the whole settlement in
the world and an actual restoration
of world peace. The truth is quite
otherwise.
In dealing with Germany we have
ditions, number of military con-
ventions. but so far is Europe is con-
cerned we have only changed the
situation of six to eight millions of
people living N approximately 10000
square miles of territory. There re-
mains before us the task of dealing
with the territories and populations
more than ten times as great.
The future peace of Europe, and
therefore of the world, will be pos
sibly even more seriously affected by
the decisions we have still to make
than any we have reached hitherto.
Present Peace Task.
At the present moment the task of
the peace conference is to liquidate
what was once the Austro- Hungarian
monarchy with al. area of 24O,oO0
square miles and population OF
more than 5O.000.O00; to deal not only
with Russian Poland, but with all
the Baltic provinces stretching to
Finland and including that state.
We have once more to attempt 10
reach a solution of the eastern ques-
ton, not alone in Europe. but in
Asia Minor. where we have finally to
dispose of that vast Ottoman empire
now gone to chaos and ruin.
This has been proudly proclaimed by
i n II
We in America, together with the peo-
pies of western Europe, have our mlnds
more closely fixed upon the liberia ton
of Belgium and Alsace-Lorralne than
upon the problems of the east of Europe,
DESPITE the fact that since the Franco
Prussian war nearly all the perils to
peace in Europe have come from the
east, and no settlement now IN the east
will be of any lasting value II the Ola
eastern causes of trouble are preserved
Specifically, we have now to decide
the eastern frontiers Of Poland: we have
TO decide whether Poland shall nave
Lemberg and the whole of Austrian
Galicia; how far east her territory SHAH
extend into White Russia, and whether
the traditional association OF Llthuanla
with Poland can be restored.
Poland, Great or Small.
Poland will be great or small power
her to the condition which preceded the
partitions of the eighteenth century.
She will be a nation of forty millions or
of twenty -five-that is to say, one Of
the world powers. or only one of the
largest of the minor powers-as the
conference of Paris permits her to hold
territories her armies have already oc-
cupied, or compels her to withdraw. But
which ever way the decision is made,
there will be the Lithuanian question,
I'll
Ckrainian question, so far as Poland is
concerned
There is also the decision as to Hun
gary. which will have a very great sig
nificance for the future. To reduce
Hungary to her ethnic limits is to make
her people without natural frontiers to
deprive her of many of her ancient prov
inces to create a permanent resentment
among her people; but not to do this is
to continue millions of Slovacs. Ruma-
mans and Jugoslavs in servitude as
brutal as anything Germany ever con-
ceived
Along the Adriatic we have still to
solve the problem raised by the dis
pute of the Slavs and the Italians
over Fiume and Dalmatia Unless
some means can be found for recon-
Cling these two conflicting races, we
shall create a new rivalry and a new
hostility quite as intense as that be-
tween the Serbs and the Austrian en-
Dlre, WnlCR Was tic OtldSIOIl oI III
world war.
Nor have we less grave difficulties
in settling the conflict between Ital-
Ian aspirations and Greek rights To
hermit Italy to continue to hold
northern Epirus and the Aegean Is
lands, to lay hands on the Greek
speaking communities of Asia, is to
create animosity between Italians and
Greeks quite as keen as that now
existing between Italians and Jugo-
slavs. To permit Italy to establish
herself in Albania is to thrust her
into the Balkans to add still one
more circumstance recalling condi-
tions which for forty years have
troubled the peace of Europe
Would Be Long Step Forward.
If we can create Il strong Poland,
an independent Bohemia, an enduring
southern Slavedom; if we can restore
to Greece her losti children. we shall
have taken a long step toward a
zeal restoration of peace. If we fail
if we leave rivalries between these
new powers themselves. and between
some of them and the great powers
we shall merely repeat the congress
of Berlin and SOW "a new crop of war
For il is essential to recognize that