Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-16
BY FRANK II. SIMONDs.


~ ESPITE the discussion of
Turkish problems and the
agreement on minor details
affecting both the eastern
and the Adriatic questions. the con-
ference at San Reno was in the larger
sense a meeting between the British,
French and italian statesmen for the
purpose of patching up the leaks in
that alliance which had won the war.
And any success which was achieved
at San Reno was a success in that
direction alone. 1t is probably true.
as Lloyd George said, that every one
came away happy, but II the restora-
ton of friendly relations between al
lies is thing that is worth while. it
is by no means a complete remedy for
existing conditions, for contemporary
diseases.
So far as the question of world
settlement is concerned the San Reno
conferees did little more than agree
that at a later date and at Spa. once
the headquarters of the German gen
eral staff, there should be new con-
ference and at that conference Ger
many would be allowed to appear. not
as at Versailles. like criminal in the
box. nor yet quite as peer. as an
equal among the nations. This rep
resents the first long step toward
not settlement. but the arrangement
of a settlement.
The truth. which is not yet sufi-
GENTLY we'll accepted. is that peace
with Germany has not yet been made.
Nothing has actually been done to
carry out the more important provi-
sions of that treaty OF peace. The
German has surrendered a certain
hide; OF ships, which he could not
sink; he has turned back some treas
ures which he stole and q very small
number of cattle and live stock. AZ
to his colonies, those were lost before
the war ended.
Aside from shipping and the cir
cumstances which show on the map,
the German has, in reality. done next
to nothing to comply with the treaty
of peace. He has done so little be-
| cause up to the present moment no
method has been found to compel him.
and there Is no consensus Of opinion
among his conquerors as to what
should be done to coerce him.
Peace Has Not Been Restored.
Thus 1t comes about that a year
and half after the last shot OF the
war was fired, a year after the terms
OF the peace treaty were put into
something approximating final form.
peace has not actually been restored.
save In the sense that the fighting,
so far as the Germans are concerned.
is not now going on. The German
stands outside the system of COM
mercial and industrial life. which in
cluded him as a potent factor six
years ago. Nor can any one quite
see how he is to be brought back
into that system.
We have among the allies very
different views as to how the Ger
man is to be put to work. or even
permitted to work-one may phrase
it as one pleases. The comfortable
idea that the German. once the war
was over, his military masters over
thrown. his Prussian drill sergeants
dismissed, would take up his tools.
accept the ideas and the standards
of his neighbors, become as English
German in defeat as in war remains
German, incomprehensible and, on the
whole, II not defiant, at the least by
no means repentant.
It was an easy and q simple notion
that with defeat the .bandage would
enemy's wrath would turn against
his own leaders: that the Germans
would accept the allied view Of the
causes of the war. of the circum-
stances Of the war. would acknowl-
edge blood guilt for crimes which
shocked the western world. But the
fact is that the German neither ac-
cepts the western view nor. So far az
man can Judge, ever will. He has his
own views of the causes. his own
convictions as to the character Of the
war He has "atrocities' committed
by his enemies to place against their
charges Of crimes committed by his
armies and leaders.
Thus mutual understanding be-
tween enemies has not been pro-
duced by the allied victory. The
German thinks about his enemies Just
what he thought of them in the be-
ginning, plus the evil opinions which
he acquired during the conflict. Mr..
Wilson was at all times seeking q
'peace of understanding" but 1t 10