New-York tribune., 1920-07-21
The Bungled Peace

If Governor Cox has committed
himself to all that Mr. Wilson did
abroad, as we'll as all that he prom
ised to do, it will be up to him to ac-
cept responsibility for the Presi-
dents bungling of the peace treaty.
The secrets of the bungling process
are being gradually disclosed. Sem
ator Harding quoted on Monday a
very pertinent statement by Colonel
House, now European correspondent
of "The Philadelphia Public Ledger" F"
to the effect that a preliminary
treaty concerning army, navy, rep
arations and delimitation Of boun-
daries could have been made by
Christmas Of 1918, and would have
been not only the usual but the OBJ
vious thing to do"
Ambassador Bernstorff's book
shows clearly that President Wilson
was willing in 1916, when he was
trying to bring about "peace with
out victory" by mediation between
the two belligerent groups, to have a
preliminary conference, participated
in by belligerents only, to settle
questions of boundaries, indemnities
and political readjustment, and later
conference, attended by the neutrals
as well, to consider the freedom of
the seas, the strengthening of inter
national law and a permanent as
sociation of nations. The German
government, while hypocritically en-
couraging the Presidents efforts as
an intermediary to bring about peace
negotiations, didn't want to allow
him any scope as a real mediator.
Won Jagow wrote to Bernstorff on
June 7, 1916: eve are naturally
skeptical Of mediation on the part of
a statesman so partial to England
and at the same time so naive as
President Wilson,"
The President, however, readily
fell in with Germany's ideas as to
the double peace conference. Then
Ludendorff and the militarists
brusquely dropped the "peace by
understanding" program. When
Germany was beaten her leaders
turned again to the President and
offered to make peace on the basis of
his Fourteen Points and other dec
larations. They hoped to drive a
wedge between the United States
and the European Allies by getting
the President to consent, nominally
at least, to settlement controlled
by this principle, enunciated on Sep
tember 27, 1918: "The impartial
Justice meted out must involve no
discrimination between those to
whom we wish to be just and those
to whom we do not wish to be Just.
VT must be a justice which plays no
favorites and knows no standard but
the equal rights Of the peoples con-
cerned"
The President swallowed Max of
Baden's bait and arranged to negoti-
ate for peace on the basis of his own
pronouncements, except that about
the freedom Of the seas. But MANY
of his points and principles affected
future world relations rather than
immediate settlements between the
victors and the vanquished. Since
1916 ne had completely reversed his
point of view. He now wanted to do
part from the usual and obvious or
der and adjust world relations be-
fore actually making peace. So far
as the President could have his wav
at Paris everything else was sacr;-
feed to the creation of a Leapne Of
Nations. The need of prompt
peace settlement was subordinated
to the less immediate need of an
alliance to regulate the world after
Ine peace.
The result is that League Of Ma
tions has come into existence in a
world still torn with wars and only
feebly adjusted to the new order,
The cart has been put before the
horse. The league cannot assure
peace. 1t cannot enforce the peace
treaties, many of which remain to
be ratified or even signed. Some
those with Russia-are still un-
drawn.
AT Paris Mr.. Wilson, ignoring
opinion in the United States, led the
conference up blind alley. The
evil effects of that blunder confront
tho world on every hand. Does Gov
Arnor Cox intend to accept full re-
sponsibility for the Presidents bun
QlIDO and fO cficL fo n ,,r1;c,1 ,,,L; -