Evening star., 1920-03-08
HASTE IN SETTLING
RUSSIAN QUESTION
MEANS SACRIFICE
Great Danger That kumanIa
and Poland Will Suffer
by Peace Decisions.
ny FRANK H. sIMONDs.

There should be no mistake as 10
the progress toward peace with the Rus
sian bolsheyists The latest maneu-
ver is nothing more than another OF
the momentary turns which nave oe-
come so familiar in recent months.
Again and again. when decision mas
heen reached and the first announce
ment gives rise to popular protest
the Paris conference has for the m. .
ment halted, to await the arrival OF
popular sentiment.
The decision to make peace Win
Russia is a decision based upon ne
cessity and, like so many more ue-
cisions. justified by an appeal to some
moral principle. The allies have done
everything they could do. with and
without the consent of their Deopes'
fo destroy the bolshevists in Russia
All their efforts have led to nothing
because they were never able 70 en-
list popular support to make any ei-
fort effective.
ture toward Petrograd the presence
of 20. 900 well disciplined troops would
have insured success; as II was, inc
gamble came within an ace OF sue
cess, although the resources avallaole
were ridiculously insignificant. But
Yudenitch, kolchak and Deniklhe
having failed. the allied game was up.
II had no choice and it is merely seek
ing to put the best face upon wnat
amounts to a contemplated surrender.
Hatred Will he Retained.
No one need now expect that. what
eyer the terms actually signed. the
Russian bolshevists will change their
feelings of hatred and resentment to-
ward the western nations. Their view
that they have compelled France
ynif nd
o1ntze them will not be inaccurate
II the allied governments have never
a actually sent large armies" they nave
sent small forces and large supsioies
in arms and money. Afraid to make
war on the scale that insured victory,
they have continued to make war on
a scale that invited defeat ana IN
sured subsequent hostility.
The one great danger now Is tnat
the allied and associated govern
ments, in their desire to get done Win
, a bad business. will consent 10 sacrl-
fee Poland and Rumania, as they nave
sacrificed their own principles ana
pledges. If the allies refuse to stand
by Poland and Rumania until the Dol,
sheyists consent to terms which Will
allow both countries their natural
frontiers and such protection as Will
enable them to meet a ne" INVASION
at a distance from their own coun-
tries. we may soon see the two best
results of the Paris conference. the
new Polish and Rumanian states. DIS
appear.
Polish Situation.
Despite the mutilations forced upon
Poland by Lloyd George, this Slav
state should include within it's boun-
daries between 3O000,000 and 35.OO0,-
900 of people. This means that with
| in a decade it will have a population
| larger than France and may become
| one Of the solid factors in the Euro
pean system. A strong Poland east OF
Germany will act to restrain German
ambitions both east and west, because
| If the German seeks eastern eXpan-
! sion French aid will be assured the
Pole; if it strikes west, Polish aid
will be ready for France. Nor is 1t
| less clear that il Russia remains boil
shevist, a strong Polish state will be
! a priceless bulwark against the red.
as it was against the Turk in the CEN
tury when SObieski saved Vienna.
Nor is Rumania less important. A
strong state. with natural frontiers,
with patriotic ana Industrious popu-
lation, a rich country and an enor-
nous expansion indicated for the near
future, Rumania will. before the GEN.
! tury is out, exceed in area and popu-
lation the Italian nation. which was