The Washington herald., 1920-12-12

sentattveS In Wasnfngton ar e
tongue-tied. but none the less deeply
interested. To them all Is the one
key position. The minister Of a
South American government. when
told that Mr.. Root might be named,
threw up both hands, exclaiming:
"Oh,, that would be glorious!'' He
tdded that all the Americas felt
just as he did. knowing Mr.. Root
and his policy as to their govern
ments.
Troubles. Overseas.
L S Europe really in as much OF a
muss as it seems to be? To
understand in any measure Euro,
p1an situations. lit Is necessary to
remember always that the desires
of everyone of those governments are
longer than its recah. The constant
attempt is to gather in everything
possible without over-reaching. Oc-
casionally one of them leans too
far and loses its balance. As a
rule they gauge safe distances quite
accurately. In the United States
we call this "blufing."
How serious the bluff Is. or what
weight to give It, depends wholly
upon the support concealed back of
1t and whether that support is NOV
ing a pawn or q king. A pawn can
be sacrificed. After all 1t Is much
like our own politics in that II is
quite essential to know the real force
back of a move and whose voice is
sounding through the whiskers Of
the face that is seen. Those who
are playing the game in Europe
are the great powers Sometimes
they play as partners. sometimes
as opponents. 1t is hard at times
to tell which.
Status of wilma.
Poland wants wilma. which is the
capital of Lithuania, IL there is to be
a Lithuania. Really there seems
little excuse for that country as a
separate entity as most of its people
who are not Poles are Let's, and
so properly belong to Letvia.. A
part of the Polish army struck or
took a vacation" near the close of
the Polish -Bolshevik warfare, and
occupied the-city. 1t or its environs
was the home of most Of them and
they decided it should be Polish. 1t
is another Fiume. The league inter-
vened and arranged for a plebiscite,
that shorter word for 'seff deter
mination."
NOW Poland wants another 10000
~ kilometers added and that its
army of occupation shall vote. Is
this but Polish greed while the peo-
pie back home are dying Of typhus,
or is it a pawn? Is it a move for
advantage IL the Bolsheviki turn
on them again in the Spring. or
what is it? Incidental to this situa-
tion is the report that there is a
movement to combine the remnant
of Wrangers army, estimated
probably too high-at 10000 men.
with Rumania and Bulgarian. pos
sibly also Hungarian forces, and
again attack the Soviet government
when Spring comes. Wilma would
then be very important strategic
point from which the Polish army
could advance.
Might Break Reds. y
Such a combined attack from the
North and South might make the
end of soviet rule. 1t would as
sure Bessarabia to Rumania. Just
what Bulgaria would get on the
Black Sea would remain to be seen.
But it would reliev" for Great Brit
ain and France a very distressing
situation in Asia Minor, and woulo
release Armenia. Is II q dream or
probable move on the chessboard
to a checkmate for the Soviets?
Where is Germany's interest in all
this and with her power of active
participation gone, is she as DEVIL
ish as credited or but smoke
screen?
Anyone who will can guess: very
few know. But for all this appar-
ent muss, there is a light shining
through and it is the light Of an
enforced better understanding
through sheer war WEAKNESS, of ac-
tual refusal of the people of the
great powers to fight or pay the
bills. Neither Great Britain nor
France can send an army OF Brit
ish or French anywhere. So when
the cats quit eating the cats and the
dogs, the dogs, because there is but
bones TO pick, peace will come. II
will come earlier when these cats
and dogs have to get to work as they
will no longer be able to feed off
each other.
Greeks PerpIexed.
The Greek government. is in the
throes of indecision. The people
have voted to recall King Constan-
tine. But the government already
finds that the withdrawal of finan-
cial support by the allied powers
will be disastrous and may bring
the loss of much that was gained
by the war. That the former Ger
-
friendly atmosphere of Greece un-
der the renewed rule of his brother
in-law, is not calculated to placate
the feelings of the allies. His splen-
did villa in the Greek island of Corfu
has already been put in condition for
his occupancy.
Meanwhile the report comes that
constantine has been asked to step
aside In favor Of his son.. He is
disinclined to throw away the cup
Just placed to his lips, having shifted
It's Intoxicating contents Just the
same ne may be forced to be more
patriotic than he wants to be. NOT
only may the allies refuse continued
nnancial support. but also to recog-
nize his government, withdrawing
tneir diplomatic agents. leaving
Greece isolated. and Germany can
no longer give any adequate COM
pensation in any form.
y Irish MuddIe Clearer.
A N AMERICAN phiIanthropist in
a 1915 proposed to have the
warning armies of Europe ont NJ
the trenches for Christmas. peace
In Ireland by the coming Christmas