New-York tribune., 1920-01-11

gary, Austria, Bulgaria and, not i'm
possibly, Turkey drawn into the COM
bination. AS for the United States,
is it even certain that it would be
represented at all in any new world
conference? And for that mat
ter, would France consent; would
Lloyd George confess to the failure
of the Paris Conference by agreeing
to new gathering?
The Liberals" in America main
tain that the United States has only
to adhere to the present stand Of the
Senate, which amounts to a refusal
Of the United States to enter
world affairs, to have the whole edi-
flee Of the Paris Conference come
crashing down; but at least, as far
as the French are concerned, the sue
cess of Clemenceau, chief target Of
liberal criticism, has been complete.
And is it so certain that any Italian
government, Socialist or reactionary,
could safely consent now to abandon
Fiume, become a symbol Of national
honor and sign Of the injustice
which, in the Italian mind, has been
done to Italy by her recent Allies,
and chiefly by President Wilson?
Wilson's Idealism
President Wilson went to Paris
with the firm conviction that the
masses Of the people in all countries
were Of the same mind, that they
were only prevented from expressing
their will in effective action by their
rulers, swho were servants of old.
ideas and Of an old order. He be-
lieved, his champions and associates
proclaimed, that he had only to
speak and the masses of all nations
would respond, and in such certain
tones that their rulers would be
driven to surrender and flee. But
he found, to his surprise and disap-
polntment, that the masses of Euro
peans did not respond to his policies
or his appeals, and he subsequently,
discovered that even in his own
country the response was not forth
coming in effective shape, when he
made his still recent "swing round"
The theory that only the govern
ments were reactionary, imperialis-
TIC nationalistic-the underlying
theory, 50 far as the league of ma
lions was ccncerned-broke down in
every single instance. The failure
was so absolute that there seems no
escape from the conclusion that the
premise was false. President Will
son being in Paris, sitting in the
peace conference, was compelled in
TACT, IT not in statement, to confess
his mistake, and his confession ;s
written in the notorious comnro-
misses of the treaty itself.
The Liberals" who in Amer;c.
supported the Presidents notions be-
lore he went to Europe did not sit
IN the conference. They did not
deal with facts, they could still in
slst that the President made fatal
blunder in permitting the British 70
take the German colonies. the
French to occupy the Sarre. the
Poles to acquire the Danzig CORR;
dor. They could still maintain +ba+
II ne had made none Of these CON
cesslons all would have come ont
right; that the trouble was with tho
President and not with the peonles
OF the several nations.
Yet the fact is that Clemencea,
nearly fell because he consented to
evacuate the Rhine, and would have
1allen had he not obtained as q sub-
stltute the Presidents promise Of
an American guaranty. Orlando
dld fall because it was felt he had
not succeeded where success was
possible sin obtaining Fiume for
Italy. If Lloyd George was not in
Danger it was because President
Wilson never ventured to challenoe
any essential British purpose. Pad
erewski did fall because he got for
Poland not absolute title, but
twenty-five years lease to East Ca
licia. Would Lloyd George have
survived in Britain if he had
agreed that the Germans should re-
turn to Southwest Africa or tho
Turks to Mesopotamia?-
And England, Too
But" say the Liberals" "iust
make 1t clear to the French that the
United States does not mean To holm
onem keep the Sarrs and they will
oivo ,,rv "AeA