New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-05-23

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tain than that the Poles will seek ;,
in the West. In sealing it thew NJ;
have French support, and one mo.
question how long the fiction Of ~.
league Of nations control at Danz;a
will avail to prevent the collision H.
tween Polish and German claim,
Nor can one believe that the polo,
will be less determined in assert;n.
their claims to Upper Silesia and tbs
Mazurian Lake regions, If the nlab
iscite is engineered against them br
German terrorism insuficiently
checked by Allied supervision.
A Condition of Chaos
All of which is, after all, only an.
other way Of saying that everyth;nc
in Europe east of the Rhine and tbs
Julian Alps remains in totally i'm.
permanent state. The work of tba
Paris Conference, the theory Of tba
league of nations have broken down
before the fury of national aspira
tons released by the recent World
War.
The Poles have declined to permit
the British or the Americans. safe
within their sea frontiers, to deprive
them of barriers against the Rus
sian, who is foe, whether he wears
the red or the white robe. Pole. Ri.
manian, Greek, all three look with
anger upon British policy erecting
mandatory barriers about British
colonies from the Hamila to the
Amanus, while sternly rebuking sim.
liar solicitudes where other national
interests are at stake.
Moreover, the French, the Italians
and not few other races are begin.
ming to endure with impotence the
gradual emergence Of an ordering
OF the settlemea q war which
leaves the British the only gamers,
which sets barriers to every French,
Italian, Polish, Rumanian or Hell
lenic aspiration.
Continental hostility to the Brit
ish is mounting visibly and reveal
ing itself in new quarters each week
and each month. The fall of Nitti
finds British explanation. Miller
and persists only because, SO far, he
is held to have made no dangerous
or considerable surrender to Lloyd
George, yet recent agreements af-
fecting the East may prove his ruin
any day and see a rev ministry,
chosen with the deliberate purpose
to oppose British policy.
America Out of 1t
Had the United States remained,
as at Paris, a steadfast ally of the
British, had the two countries cone
tinued to act in close cooperation
as they did while the President was
in the French capital, the situation
would cause less disquiet in Lon.
don. But there is no Disgusting
the fact that the United States has
left Europe. Nothing is less likely
than that the United States will un-
dertake to join the British in calling
off the Poles along the Dnieper or
disciplining the Rumanians at the
Dniester.
Even if Pilsudski's troops go to
Moscow, America will do nothing
officially, and at least fraction OF
the American public will rejoice.
The rise of a Ukrainian state VIII
excite no bitterness in Washington
or New York, and the total change
of conditions on the Black and Bal
tic littorals will not provoke any
American gesture.
In sum, the Polish campaign
against Russia is interesting in the
first place as the clear evidence OF
the escape of the peoples Of the east
of Europe from any real or pre-
tended control exercised by Western
nations. 1t may mean changes IN
the map of Europe DIS startling as
those which followed the defeat OF
Germany and the collapse Of Aus
tria-Hungary 1t may mean the ar
rival of two more nations, as strong
in numbers and as great IN area
as France or Italy. 1t may Lead 10
a total change in European policy
to a reimbursement of alliances, 70
the isolation of the British, to the
erection of a Latin-Slay alliance.
What Polish Victory Means
Moreover, it is a war already en-
gaging armies beside which the
forces employed in our Civil war
seem insignificant. If it leads 70
victory for the Poles it must mean
something approximating dissolution
for Russia and immediate dangss
for Germany. If the Poles are De-
feated the last barrier will be ia