Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-31
PEACE PACT iMPERlLED
BY RUSSo-GERMAN AIMS
Revived Slavic Nationalism and
Berlin's Evasive Tactics support
This Grim Deduction

THAT the dilemma Of the Allies,
i forced into the humiliating position
Of asking peace terms Of victorious
| Russia, is pleasing to Germany is a
deduction hardly to be disputed Any
circumstances. regardless of their origin,
which tend to lessen the prestige OF
conqucrors. are virtually certain to be
capitalized by u defeated nation.
1t was jealousy among the allies OF
century ago which unqucstionahly
tempted Napoleon to challenge destiny
second time. That he failed is so
signal a historic fact that it has some &.
times obscured appreciation of the mar
rowness of the margin by which Wa
terloo was turned into a great victory
for his opponents.
| The Germans of the present would
not be Germans did they not view the
immediate embarrassment of the En- .
tcnte resulting from the Polish fasro
with unmixcd satisfaction. More than
that they would not be human.
! Regardless of political compilations
/ and Of social and economic PHILOSOPHERS,
the Teutonic minds may be set down
as a unit upon at least one subject.
| That dominant theme is the Treaty OF
Versailles. The chances of subverting
it obviously depend very largely upon
the actions of the one nation exempt
from consideration in that otherwise
comprehensive document.
The world peace" of 1919 did, it is
true. drive the German armies from
Russian soil. Other than that. how
over. the anarchic realm comprising the
! largest contiguous territory on the globe
was ignored II the dangers which that
omission Cntailcd were somewhat spccu-
lativc then. they are assuredly grimiy
real today.
OF tho many interpretative angles
from which the crisis can be viewed,
one of the most significant is emphasized
by b. F. kospoth. correspondent at
Geneva of this newspaper. His analy-
sis, printed on another page today,
pointedly suggests the vast opportuni-
ties omen to Germany through the
agency of the present highly organized
and successful Red army. For it is no
secret that this powerful military ma
chine is only Bolshevist in Pickwlck-
ian sense.
| Brussilofr. Pavlivanof and other
gifted officers of the late imperial regime
are leading in the drive into Poland.
Mr.. Kospoth is Informed that German
miltaristS are also prominent in the
movement and that the excellent mill
tary strategy employed is primarily
! result of German inspiration.
This opinion sheds a sinister though
not an unexpected light upon the latest
gesture Of Ludcndorff and his appeal
for an army of l.000.00O men to fight
bolshcyism. 1t j. difficult to see what
the iunkcr classes. of whom l.udcndorf
is an acknowledged spokesman, would
gain from such performance If sin
cerc!y executed. The discontinue OF
Soviet arms would unaifcrtCdly delight
I'll. Entente. In that event some pros.
rcct of restoring order in Europe and
Of scrurulously carrying out the Treaty
Of Versailles could be entertained. y"
rrotestations Of Ludcndorff can make
his late foes believe that he is working
for such an outcome.
"Rol,hevism. according to one of
Mr.. KoSpoth's reliable Russian in
formants. will automatically cease as
suon as Germany obtains revision OF the
pCarp trcntv." Involved in that pre-
dirtion is the formation of Russo
German alliance. the spccter which has
haunted the western powers. distorted
the supplemental prass agreements and
converted the recent course OF Entente
the nearest way.
History sheds an ominous light upon
the forecast. Apart from the merits
or dement's Of bolshevism as social
program. IL is undcniable that Russia
brtraycd her allies at Brest Litovsk.
I.oniue. pro German before his as
cendanCy. vas unquestionably the re-
cipi,nt Of Tcutonic aid on his rise to
power.
At Rrcst instant expcdiCncy dictated
surrender to German territorial ambi
tion> With the end of the war still
rTcd. subsprviencc 10 the imperial Ger
man Government was practical ne
g.. lily in the spring of l3lS. Co
ration with the aims of its demo
cratir" successor is now equally tn"
program in which profit TO Russia can
hc ,enscd.
From the Allies no favors not wrung
from them By military might can be
won. Concessions which the Allies may
bc forced to make in tho critical Polish
negotiations will be grudging.
The unpalntable truth is that the
Soviet Government is aggresSivelv anti
Auv and has been so since Brest And
the natural vet unwholesome conclusion
is that the Bolshevist rule IL pro o-Gor-
man and that in that policy "pros-
tratc" Germany is cultivating fertile
fields of hope.
The situation is complicated, but not
AZ all improved, so far as the western
mowers are ronCerned. by the intense
pationalism of victorious Russia. About
the last man who might. according IN
the cxternals of his career, bc thought
favorably inclined toward the Red army
is Alexander Kerensky. Yet in Paris
this week the former premier declared
that he, with all Russi, ms, regardless
of party. hoped ardently for the victory
of our armies
Reconstructed Poland" he ex-
planned, fortified and unified. thanks
to the aid Of the Entente, had dreamed
of winning. to the detriment Of Russia
her historic frontiers of the Middle
Ages. All Russia, Soviet or not, has
risen against the power which was at
tempting to take from her during her
Rolshcvist agony scraps of her terri d.
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