New-York tribune., 1920-03-09
Worth Remembering
By Frank Fl. Simonds

| 1y S$SUt
In all the welter Of criticism Of the
peace made at Paris last year there
are certain things worth remember
Ing. To-day criticism Of the document
based upon It's economic aspects is gen.
eral; and, in addition, the conflicts be-
tween various races over relatively
small strips Of territory serve to give
tho lie to the assertion that any peace
was made. Americans, perceiving this
confusion and proximato chaos, are
gradually accepting the extreme views
Of relatively small number Of critics,
chiefly British, who style themselves
"liberal" and seek to achieve an entire
revision Of the treaties with the OBJ
vious purpose to benefit Germany at
the expense Of all the nations which re-
Gently united to defeat the German at
tack.
A Very Partial Viet0
These British critics would lay the
chief burden of the rehabilitation upon
the United States, which is to be asked
to cancel debt of $10,000,O00 900 and
then to begin new series of lendings.
Germany would in the end be the bene-
ficiary and the $10,0OO,OO0 would
reduce the cost to the German of his
recent war;. American taxpayers taking
that load OF German shoulders. But
America alone would not be asked to
contribute. France, Poland, Belgium
and Italy would have to make contribu-
tions.
Now, shifting the discussion Of the
peace terms to the economic side leads
in the end to very partial view Of the
treaty itself. The truth about the war
and the peace lies in the fact
that together these two things amount
cd to vast surgical operation. Up
ward Of 50,000,00O human beings
were rescued from slavery and from
something worse than slavery. The
operation mutilated Germany and re-
suited in the actual extinction Of the
Hapsburg Empire. And, just as no
operation can be accomplished without
bleeding, thu results have been. such
IS to arouse protest from the most
squeamish.
But, granted that economic disorder
has resulted, does this justify blanket
Indictment Of what the French, British
and American negotiations of Paris did
i'll recognizing new facts? The burden
of all criticism now is that the treaty
terms are too severe upon Germany,
but, at least, Is it out Of place to indi-
cate what was done for other than Ger
man interests and to recall that the
war was more than once advertised as
war Of liberation? Must the single
test Of the peace terms be the effect
upon Germany?
Humans Set Free
The truth is that the peace treaties
liberated 25,ooo,ooo Poles, 10000 900
Czecho-slovaks, 100000 Southern
Slavs, 100000 Rumanians, 100000
Italians, 100000 Alsace-Lorrainers
100000 Danes, 10000 Walloons of the
Belgian frontiers, at least 1000 900
Greeks. All told, upward of 50,oOO,OO0
human beings were set free from
German, Austrian, Hungarian, Russian
and Turkish tyranny. In accomplish
ing this upward Of 50,0o0,000 Ger
mans and Hungarians, but mainly Aus
trian-Germans, were included in Slav
and Rumanian frontiers.
We are now asked to regard the ter
ritorial phases of the treaty as a fail
ure because the lines as drawn do not
arrive at complete justice, thing to-
tally impossible, given the mingling of
various races at the several meeting
places Of ethnic frontiers; and to set
aside the gain of the 100000 liber-
ated because of the 100000 placed
under alien rule. More than this, we
are asked to regard the liberation of
human beings as unimportant because
it is accompanied by economic chaos.
E Efficiency Us. Liberty
But Is this just demand? Was it
necessary that the Poles should con-
tinue under German rule because to
free them meant to shake the edif,ce
OF German industry? Ought the world
to accept as legalized the stealines of 1
Frederick the Great and his successors
because the result of the stealings had
been the erection of an economically
efficient state? Is efficiency so much
more important than liberty, after all?
If it is, then we made a great mistake
in opposing the German.
The new states which emerged at
Paris had emerged actually from the
war, for Paris did not do more than
recognize existing facts. They will
not easily find their feet They have
aspirations not differing from those Of
the older states, just as our own chill