Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-27

ing the United States), hnvc no more
right thnn had the Austrian government
to dispose Of tho free Jugoslnv people
without the consent and cooperation oi
theso peoples, the President insists that
Justice and clf-determination" must
bo substituted for aggression and politi..
cal dictation, If permanent peace and
tho supreme objects OF the recent war
arp to bo achieved.
The Presidents position is declared by
the Polk note to bo that tho powcrs
! which were associated in tho war
against Germany gave final and ir-
rcfutAble proof of their sincerity in tho
war by writing into the treaty Of Vcr--
saillos Article Y Of the covenant Of
the League of Nations which consti-
tutes an assurance that all the great
powers hnvo done what they compelled
Germany TO do-havc forcpone all ter
ritorial aggression and all interference
with the FREQ political solf-determina-
ton Of the paoples of the world"
Reitcrnting his view that tho object
Of the war--~so far as the United States
Government WAS coneerped-was TO free
Europe from tho cloud which hung over
it for generations through constant
threat of war, the Polk note To the Pre-
mcrs again emphasizes the determine
tion OF the President, a. set forth In
his threat" when il says:
The President feels il important &c
say again that in tho opinion of the Amer
ioan Government the terms OF the peace
settlement must continue to bc formulat-
eel upon the basis Of tho principles for
which America entered the war.
The Use Of the words important"
must" and continue" IN this para
II -. .(,,11 f..sI
by the President, and il is rot believed
here that their meaning viii be lost upon
tho British and French Premierr.
The President not only authorized Sec
retarv Polk to send note which again
thus stated the Presidents position,
but this declaration was intended Ia tie
gwen additional emphasis by the state.
ment that thefresident feels IL important"
TO say this again.
The President also indicates the posi-
tiveness of his stand by saying that the
terms nf the peace settlement mus"
be made according 10 certain principles.
His Use Of the word 'conti nc" is sp-
piiieant because dearly susceptible OF
the Interpretation that the President had
in mind not only the Adriatic but the
other unfinished work Of the Peace Con
ference, including the Turkish question
and is rs interested in seeing the prin-
ciples for which he is fighting observed
in the Turkish as in the Adriatio set
Elements. The understanding here is
that the President ia no more willing %
have these principles thrown into the
discard in the Turkish peace treaty than
he is TO have them disregarded in the
Adriatif section # the Hungarian peace
treaty.
"It has never been the policy OF either
thus government or lts associates, saws
the Presidents $ latest note. to invoke
the League Of Nations as q qua antee
that n bad settlement Hhall not become
worse. The sum of such actions would
of necessity destroy faith in the League
aud eventually the league itself.
TREATY oF LONDON ALREADY rsNoREp.
The President not only rciterates his
objections to the secret Treaty OF Lon
don, pointing out that in the matter nf
tine Northern Italian frontier az eenents
already reached there was n depa, ture
from the Treaty Of London line in con
Quoting the negotiations on quite new
basis, and he objects TO any plan for
the coupling Of the Treaty Of London az
"an obligatory alternative 10 the Adliatie
settlement
The American reply declares that such
a coupling as proposed by England and