South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-03-17
BY FRANK II. sIMONDs.
CORRESPONDENT News-Times and
Associated Newspapers)

"
Especial wire. The past week has
+ been one OF the most sensational de
velopments OF the whole peace con-
! ference During the whole progress
OF the conference up TO that time.
the two conspicuous figures had been
I Pres't Wilson and C1emenceau. and
the two great questions TO be de-
cided had been the league of nations
and the future security Of France.
but in the last week Lloyd George
has suddenly taken control OF the
course If events. for the moment. at
least and persuaded the Paris con-
ference 20 adopt policy the con-
sequences Of which can hardly 5e
forecast
From the very outset the Paris
conference has struggled with duty
imposed upon il by the people OF the
world 10 make future war impos-
sible.
To this end the league OF nations
was devised I'm this movement Mr.
Wilson achieved world prominence.
but 10 reinforce the purpose OF Mr.
Wilson. Lloyd George has now pro
porary interruption Of the system
Of CONSUMPTION. first in Germany and
later and only very little later. in the
whole world
To interrupt Consumption.
What Lloyd George has definitely
proposed is fairly well known now
Marshal Foch and his military asso-
ciates had proposed that the German
army should be reduced 10 approx
matelv 200. 600 with corresponding
general staff. but this army was 10
be raised i'm the old fashioned way
by CONSUMPTION and. provided the
Germans never had more than 300
600 men on foot at any one time. it
was conceivable that they might re-
peat the achievement Of the last cen
fury and by the rapidly passing men
through barracks. build such sys-
tenn as the Prussian constructed 20
the later ruin of Napoleon.
Moreover. as long as Germany
continued TO raise an army by con-
scription. it would be inevitable that
Italy and France should not only
preserve conscription but should
continue TO call up annually more
men than Germany was allowed
To all this Lloyd George has in
terposed an emphatic negative, and
has had his way; under his plan.
there viii be imposed upon Germany
the British military system which
calls for a voluntary army compar-
able TO our own regular army, made
up Of men enlisted for a long period
of tilne-t2 years 10 be exact, the
size of .this army will be rigidly held
down TO a 1000 army as con-
trasted with the national army OF re-
cent decades. What Mr.. Llovd
George had in mind was a two-fold
thing II Germany were permitted
to continue CONSUMPTION, il was in
ovitable that England would also
have TO adopt permanently that con-
scription method followed in the
later years of war. In the last po-
litical campaign, Lloyd George gave
unqualified assurances that this sys-
tenn of Consumption should be Nan-
dOned. In imposing upon Ger. ny
the necessity Of abandoning con
scriptiOn. Mr.. Lloyd George is keep
ing his political promises in Eng
land. But the thing goes far be-
yond this. Consumption is the sort
Of thing which persists every nation
is compelled 10 protect itself so long
as one nation arms its whole popu-
lation BY the system OF conscrip-
ton the French revolution not only
saved France, but Overran Europe.
BY CONSUMPTION the national armies
of Prussia and the south German
states overcame the professional
armies Of France in 1870 Al the
very moment of the outbreak of the
last war. France had adopted a
three-year service law in a vain eff
fort 10 raise among 100000 OF
people an army approximately equal
| 10 that Of state Of 100000.
Entente FnVOrs Plan.
Now. If Germany is compelled to
abandon CONSUMPTION and TO accept
professional army OF 100000 men.
Srance and Italy in their turn will
uuquestionably abandon cOnscrip-
/ ton II the radicals of socialist
parties. and in fact the masses Of
French and Italian people will never
consent 10 man an annual sacrifice
or their youth when the danger pre-
vented by cOnscript. Germany is
abolished. As for England. nothing
is more certain than that she will re-
tain 10 her old system of a profess
sional army This thing however.
does not end here Lloyd George has
two objects i'm mind. He was COM
PEELED TO fulhl his political prom
ises He was compelled 10 find a
method 20 save the British people
I from that burden OF CONSUMPTION
which they had never accepted be
I fore the war. and only Shouldered
when the war was well advanced
But he was convinced in addition.
as are a very large number of Eng
I lishmen. that if the German people
were once out Of the habit Of con-
/ scription they would not return to
il: and the terrible burdens OF arm
ed Europe would automatically dis
appear.
The English philosophy in this
matter Is simple There are at least
- 100000 OF Germans in Europe
who cannot be permanently separ-
/ ated from each other except by their
act and desire II these 100000
] RE 90 H.,