El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-01-31
]. s. HINDERS
EUROPEAN PEACE

given the American nation a new and
pleasant appreciation Of its own
strength But the German had been
beaten, the war was over. the pur-
pose for which these Americans had
enlisted had been realized. The na-
l ton, having enlisted for the dura-
/ ton Of the war, was ready to be mus
tered out
No Peace Of Cancellation.
Look back and see what happened
A peace OF Cancellation, president
Wilson's ideal. was never to be at
/ tanned without fOrgiving Germany
her sins and placing upon France the
burden Of German destruction Nor
was it less necessary TO sacrifice Po-
I lish aspirations for national liberia
ton and unity To make Germany
Z pay in money and in territories torn
from her neighbors, meant to make
[ Germany hostile, would make any
/ treaty dependent upon force for exc
cutiOn and thus to transform any
[ league Of nations into an enduring al
lance against Germany.
When it came TO dividing the ter
ritOries on the eastern shore OF the
Adriatic in conformity with justice.
italy quit the conference. When the
question Of Hungary came up, Ru-
mania was IN Budapest. not Paris, at
the critical moment Where was the
force to coerce italy or Rumania,
where the force to destroy anarchy
and its agents in Russiaz French
and British troops, like American
would not fight the bOlshevists- Brit
ain, France and the United States
were not prepared TO cOerce italy,
even with the economic weapons.
France and Italy were wholly sympa-
thetic with Rumania; France and
Britain with Greece. when her claims
ran counter to Bulgarian and Ameri-
can judgment inclined TO the Bulgar. /
L. $. Unwilling to Be Partner.
Meanwhile the United States each ]
day and hour more clearly indicated |
an unWillingness to enter into a part Z
nership with Britain for world az Z
fairs with France 70 maintain the I
Rhine barrier and the treaty OF YER I
sailles-
The gradual extension OF the idea I
that the league Of nations meant, not /
peace automatic and perpetual, but /
responsibility beyond the seas with |
out apparent limit resulted IN an I
American emotion which was pres |
emily disclosed in the senate and I
out OF il.
President Wilson went 10 Paris with 4
the firm conviction that the masses /
Of people in all countries were OF the I.
same mind. that they were only pre- l
vented from expressing their viii in 4
effective action by their rulers who I
were servants Of old ideas and Of an 4
old order. He believed, his champions !
and associates proclaimed, that he 4
hal only 70 speak and the masses OF I
all nations would respond and in such I
certain tones that their rulers would 4
be driven TO surrender and flee. But \
he found to his surprise and disap- I
pointment that the masses Of Eu-
ropeans did not respond 10 his poll I
cies or his appeals, and he suisse
quently discovered that even in his ]
own country the response was not Z
forthcoming IN effective shape when .
he made his still recent swing I
round"
CIemeneeau Nearly Fell.
Clemenceau nearly fen because he
consented to eyacuate the Rhine. and
would have fallen had he not OBJ
tanned as a substitute the presidents
promise OF an American guaranty.
Since this was written Clemenceau
has been defeated-)
Orlando did fall because Il was felt
he had not succeeded where success
was possible in obtaining Fiume for (
Italy II Lloyd George was not in
danger IL was because president Will
son never ventured TO challenge any I
essential British purpose. Pader-
eWski did fall because he got for PO-
land not absolute title but a 25-year
lease 70 East Galicia- Would Lloyd
George have survived In Britain II he
return 70 southwest Africa or the
Turks to Mesopotamia2
But" say the liberals. Just make
L clear 70 the French that the United
states does not mean 10 lelp them
keep the Saar and they viii give up"
Is it 50 sure2 VIII they not rather
enter into an arrangement with the
Italians by which French support on
the Adriatic Is repaid by Italian aid
IN the Rhine, while Italian and
French support combines TO increase
he stature OF Rumania and Of Po- Z
and at the expense OF Germany and
Hungary
And even Great Britain. once the
hope Of American partnership IS to-
tally eLtinguished, will have TO make
her decision. just as she had years
before the war, when she agreed TO
the partition OF Persia at Russian re-
quest, without regard TO Persian de-
sires, but with fun appreciation Of
her own necessities, and just as she
made her japanese alliance
Interpretation Wrong.
The beginning OF a real understand
Ing between nations viii have to be
an accurate appraisal Of the facts IN
heir situation. Before the peace con-
terence we in America had Europe IN
.erpreted TO us largely in terms OF
domestic emotion. The INTERPRETATION
turned out to be a Instrumentation.
True the British still want the
Anglo-American partnership, the
French the American guaranty Of the
O-Freuch-American treaty. the
italians would be glad OF American
I'D and support Poland. Rumania,
Iugo-Slavia would be glad to get
American guarantees. loans and as
sistance, but one has only to read the
foreign press to see that in no quar-