Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-03
DEMANDS AT PEACE TABLE
EACH COUNTRY IS MAKING
Territorial Aspirations and Demands of
Great Powers and Smaller Nations of
Europe Make Complicated Problem.

northeast Czechoslovak expansion has
| brought them into contact with the
Ruthenians, or UkrainIans in eastern
Galicia. The new state desires ex-
| pansion southwark over a frontage
| on the Danube and over a corridor
| to the Adriatic.
Poland and Her Aims.
The Poles. with an inadequate army,
| sion of disputed regions on three sides
of Russian Poland and Galicia, which
| constitutes the nucleus of the new
Polish state. The Poles desire east
ern Galicia to include Lemberg, which
is in the Ukraine, and the disputed
province Of Cholm. in Little Russia
TO the northeast he Poles desire
TO nave wilma recognized as Polish.
Both the Lithuanians and the bolshe-
Wiki have raised claims to Wilma, the
,, bolsheviki supporting their preten-
tons by menacing military often
sive. The Poles contending against
the Germans not only for German
Silesia and Fosen and West Prussia
as provinces populated chiefly by
Poles, but also for the city of Danzig
so as to provide Poland with direct
access to the sea-
Should the Poles have Danzig East
Prussia would be cut of from the rest
of Germany and would remain an
island" populated by Germans sur
rounded by Polish dominions.
Belgium Wants Damages.
Belgium asks that the reparation
for damages wrought by Germany
shall be the first lien upon German
assets to the extent of at least Is, 000-
100000 francs or up to a much larger
gum IT Germany does not return the
machinery and the materials taken
from Belgium. Belgium believes that
she should be paid first because The
was the first to be invaded, because
her neutrality was violated and be-
cause she has suffered more f. ON
despoliation than any other country
in the war.
Belgium having reasserted her in
dependence and thus emerged from
from Holland the left bank of the
Scheldt and the peninsula of Mas
tricht which protrudes into Belgian
Limburg. Belgium also will assent
to a plebeiscite in Luxembourg to de-
eide whether that country wishes to
join Belgium or France or to retain
its autonomy.
The foregoing may be considered
the extreme claims of Belgium They
come into conflict with Holland. which
resists any infringements of the from
tiers asked for by the Belgian an
lie government OL E1oi-
land appears willing to revise the
Scheldt navigation treaty so that Bel
GUM should enjoy equal rights with
Holland.
Japan and China.
Japan enters the peace conference,
as Baron Maxine. the sepior delegate
has said. with no territorial ambi-
tons in China" and that as for Using
tau she will hand it back to China
under the terms of the notes ex-
changed between China and Japan in
May. 1915. This is interpreted by
Japan as permitting her to retain
certain former German concessions on
the Shantung peninsula. Japan,
Baron Maxine explains. neither in
tends nor desires to interfere in Rus
sian affairs. but is willing, If solfc-
tied, to aid Russia in restoring or
der"
These declarations dispose of two
of the main questions in which Japan
Is interested except that she desires
to retain the Southern Pacific Islands
north of the equator which formerly
belonged to Germany.
The Chinese delegates ask to be
guaranteed against foreign imperial
ism or aggression and desire the
gradual abolition of Consular rights"
and to be allowed to impose higher
duties on fmportations. The Chinese
also ask for the return of kiauchau.
Switzerland.
Switzerland appears to be the only
neutral station which has so far pre-
sented her desires to the peace confer
ence- The Swiss government has
represented that while Switzerland
would be glad to participate in
society of nations. yet. because of her
mixed nationalities. she could not do so
II that should mean the use Of her
troops in policing the world by force,
as. perhaps, against Italy. France or
Germany.
Switzerland desires an outlet to the
sea by making the Rhine a neutral
stream. This Is in accord with French
desires. since IL Alsace-Lorraine be-
comes French from Basel northward,
ard Independent buffer states should be
erected out Of the Palatinate and
Rhenish Prussia, as suggested by
Marshal Foch. it would be necessary to
neutralize the Rhine. II this were done