New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-26
Mocking Hopes of Peace

Herbert Corey, an American war
correspondent who has spent the last
six years in Europe, visiting every
front and country, and an observer
who looks at life from the viewpoint
of the Middle West rather than from
that of our partly Germanized in
situations of higher education, has
this to say concerning the non-func-
tioning of the Wilson League of
Nations:
can attempt to impose peace on
Europe by a league to-day means in
effect that every crossroads must be
garrisoned. If the United States
enters the league as at present CON
stltuted it binds itself to take a
part in every backward suuabble in
Europe. Iowa doughboys might find
themselves fighting the Kurds and
wondering what the Kurds are. To-
days league is nothing more than
an instrument by which prominent
powers in Europe hope to maintain
their supremacy through the aid of
the United States"
1t is easy to support this conclu-
sion plausibly. But if general
power existed, with both the ability
and the Willingness to keep two
specific nations namely, Germany
and Russia - from breaking the
peace, we would scarcely need to
worry over crossroads and back
yards.
The principal defect of the Wilson
league is that it's authors failed to
face the realities of world condi-
tions. Instead of frankly recog-
nizing the need of continuance of
the war alliance and it's dedication
to the duty of enforcing peace, men
of Teutonic and Bolshevik minds
turned the world toward the task,
temporarily impossible, of talking
two trouble-making nations into
pacifism. The Russo Polish War
would not have occurred had Russia
understood Poland would be de-
Tended. Russia to-day would prob
ably have internal peace if civilized
Russians had been adequately sup
ported.
The Wilson diplomacy permitted
itself to be captured by the moral
terrorists, who hold that the way
to save civilization is to divide its
friends. In no clear and under
standable way is a league set up to
enforce peace. The Germans know
this, and Lenine and Trotzky know
it. Their game is thus safe. No one
can say they would certainly have
bowed to just decisions. But they
might have. Anyway, enforcement
of peace has not been seriously
threatened, except by France, and
this not as a league member.
The world has borne the pain of
the worst calamity in history. 1t
is victim to forces of reaction
masquerading as devoted to liberal
ism. History will, of course, visit
heavy judgment on those respon-
sible, but no one would wait for the
verdict of history The duties that
call are of the present and the i'm
mediate future These demand con.
sideration.
With a two-year record Of bun
Cling incapacity by those who es-
sayed the business Of organizing the
world for peace, it is not strange
that the movement for a new start
strengthens, with insistence on 81
leadership Of men Of vision and a
better sense of reality. America, as
Senator Harding indicates, would
not participate in crossroads quar-
rels, but would do her duty in big
matters. The two things are recon-
cilable if we are to avoid barren
formulas.
On broad rather than on narrow
grounds, then, the Wilson league is
falling under condemnation. So far
it has Knocked the hope of the world.
Thus, friends of peace turn away