The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-01-02
World Found Great Difficulty in
Returning From War to
Peace Conditions.
MAKING THE GERMAN TREATY
Europe In State Of Ferment, While
the United States Was Struggling
With Grave Industrial and Eco
nomic Problems.
BY DONALD r. RIecs.

A1tcE uedTty I'VE years VI lTlSut1ui
warfare, in which all of the great pow
srs and many Of the smaller nations
had been involved, the world found II
difficult to return to anything like nor
NAL conditions during the year 1919,
While the armistice which was signed
In the closing weeks of 1918 brought
cessation Of hostilities between the
two groups Of nations that had been
engaged in the great struggle, 1t did
not bring peace to all the peoples in
volved. Technically the world still
was at war throughout practically all
Of the year just closed as the peace
treaty which was framed in Paris
after months Of negotiation could not
De made fully effective until ratified
oy the great powers and formally pro-
mulgated by the peace conference.
Failure Of the United States senate to
.atify the treaty, because Of opposition
TO the covenant Of the League of Ma
lions, which was made a part. Of the
peace treaty, prevented the formal
declaration of peace until more than
a year after the armistice was signed.
Internal disorders and territorial
disputes arising from the establish
naent Of many new nations kept a
large part Of Europe in turmoil. Such
a complete remaking Of the map of
Europe as resulted from the great war
naturally could not be accomplished
without friction. The great empire of
Austria Hungary had fallen to pieces
with the defeat Of the central powers
and out of the wreckage new states
arose. These new nations-Austria,
Hungary, Poland and the Czech and
Jugoslav states-could not establish
their new boundaries without friction
among themselves and with their
neighbors. The new government of
Germany, which had been transformed
into a republic, was striving to main
tain itself against the attacks Of radl-
cal elements. Russia was torn by
civil strife, with half dozen groups
fighting for the mastery. At times
world peace seemed still far off, but as
the year passed conditions became
more settled and it seemed probable
that with the formal PRONUNCIATION Of
the peace treaty the chaos into which
Europe had been thrown would pass.
In the United States conditions were
not so unsettled as in the nations that
had been longer engaged In the war,
but here, as in Europe, the transition
from a war to a peace basis was not
easy. New industrial problems had
been created. The high cost of living
caused labor to make insistent and re-
peated demands for higher wages and
resulted In numerous strikes among
all classes of workers. Radical lead
ers took advantage Of the unrest that
existed to recruit their forces and
they became so active that the con-
stituted authorities of the nation
finally found it necessary to take de-
termined steps to suppress disloyal
propaganda.
The Making of Peace.
The first steps toward the organi-
Zation of the peace congress were
taken on January II when the SUI
preme war council. members of which
were President Wilson and Secretary
Lansing of the United States. and the
premiers and foreign ministers of
Great Britain, France and Italy. to-
gether with Marshal Foch and mill
tary representatives Of the several
powers, began actual consideration of
the terms of peace to be imposed upon
the central powers. The peace con-
gress itself, without delegates from
the defeated powers or Russia, met in
the ministry Of foreign affairs at
Paris on January IS. President Will
son proposed Premier Clemenceau for
permanent chairman OF the confer
ence and the delegates elected him by
unanimous vote. It was determined at
the beginning that only the five great
oelligerent powers, the United States.
Great Britain, France. Italy and Japan,
should take part In all meetings of the
conference and commission to be ap-
pointed; that other belligerent and as
ISOLATED powers should participate
only in meetings at which questions
concerning them were to be discussed.
AS the representatives of the many
belligerent nations entered upon the
task Of bringing peace to the world
Europe was In turmoil. Poland was
being reconstructed and the fixing OF
her boundaries gave rise to many con-
troversies between the Poles and sur
rounding peoples. The question of
whether a League of Nations should
be created as means of preventing
future wars was one Of the first to be
taken up by the peace conference. On
January % the conference formally
declared in favor Of the establishment
Of League of Nations and COM
mission, of which President Wilson
was chairman. was appointed to pre-
pare definite plan. The League OF
Nations commission held Its first meet.
ing on February 8 and on February "A
President Wilson read and explained
to the peace conference draft of the
constitution for the League of Nations