Omaha daily bee., 1920-01-12
The Austrian Tragedy
Prom the Chicago Tribune.


Mr.. Lansing according TO Mr.. Bullitt said
II the American people knew what the treaty
OF Versailles meant they would never ap-
prove it.
II our secretary Of state did not say this, he
might have without FORGETTING his right to our
respectful attention
And now day by day the American people
are learning what the treaty means The dis
cussion of the Shantung provision was illumin-
ating. The recent disclosures Of The Tribune
concerning the disposition of German Austria
give still more light.
The treatment of Austria not only ehal-
lenges our feelings of humanity. 1t challenges
our self-interest In plain English 1t comes to
this: We are asked by the allies to give relief
to a situation which remorseless European poll
tics has created France demands that the
Austrian Germans shall not be allowed to join
their racial kin in the former German empire
This means that few million Austrians are
left in an inland state, ringed with in1memorial
enemies and economic competitors, shut on
from the sea, shut off from resources essential
and destitute in the present, hopeless of the
future-hopeless and helpless.
At this moment as result OF the terrific
devastation OF four years of war. and OF the
policy of the allies since the armistice, the Aus
trian people are in the most desperate condi-
and of starvation. As people they are dis
appearing from off the face Of the earth
This CHASTITY tragedy haunts the allied coun-
sells. So America, least of all nations guilty OF
completely, least of all nations responsible Is
invited to save the Austrian people from the ex-
tremity of the fate ordained for them by the
politics of Versailles. .r..a
The United States will do this But 1t ought
to force the allies to make concessions in re-
turn for relieving their peoples conscience of
the impending crime. Mr.. Hoover's position,
taken when the provision against Austro- Ger
man annexation was first fixed, should now be
adopted by our government and insisted upon.
He declared that the United States should re-
fuse to approve credits until the door to Aus
tria's escape from humiliation is opened.
We have all the cards in our hands Mr..
Wilson would not play them to save Shantung
or to save Austria. 1t is time we played them
at least to prevent the Austrian tragedy. The
American people would not have the blood of
this people on their hands. Let Clemenceau
not at ours. If the French are willing to make
Vienna second Carthage, it is certainly not
our interest to support the plan. The prohibi-
ton of annexation violates Mr.. Wilson's ia
nous principle of self-determination. He
turned his back on it, but the American people
need not and cannot
The treaty of Versailles is the product of
European imperialism, mitigated very little by
any of the considerations upon which Mr.. Will
son was hailed as the herald of a new and bet
ter era in international relations. We in Amer
lea have been inclined to accept 1t as an in
evitable if evil consequence Of the situation at
Paris but not without reservations for our own
security. We might do more than this. For
our consciences sake we might and we ought
to refuse to be particeps criminis in the ex-
ecution of Austria. We did not go to war to
wreak vengeance. We have sought nothing
for ourselves. We have given with both
hands Let us do what we have the power to
do to prevent the worst folly and cruelty de-
vised at Versailles. All Europe is on our door
step. Let US make few terms before we turn
out our pockets into their hands.