The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-18

/ thcre can be an associat.on of ma
tlons III Europe. it is clear there
! VIII have to be some effective will
Tor peace as between European
[ countries. IL France and Germany,
Tor example, could see their future
! on the Rhine in the terms which
Japan and the United States have
Heen their future upon the Pacific.
an association of European ma
tions would be a matter OF days.
II II then impossible Ia apply
the Washington method ia
| Europe? No one tSln Conccdc
/ that this Is impossible because II
Is clear that unless some method
To provide association he found,
we shall have AN economic and
perhaps n political disaster hard
ly paraliclcd In Europe since the
collapse OF Roman civilization.
But what IL ~ necessary To per-
ccivc Is that there are certain
truths as To association Of ma
lions sshich the experiment OF
'hc treaty of Ncr allies makes un-
Inistakablc.
Thus no association seems possible
except as these nations which enter
are prepared to accept In good faith
the existing situation in the world,
SO far as they are mutually con-
cerned To go back to the case of
the Entente OF 1904 France and
Britain had been quarrclling for
generation all over the world about
frontiers and spheres OF Interest,
but after thay had drawn and ac,
cepted compromise lines, we had a
fun decade without "a single seri-
Gus discussion.
Again, no association is possible
which has for its main or Tor one
OF It's chief duties the maintenance
of some status quo against the will
OF "A nation not belonging to the
association. Such an association is
in fact nothing moro nor less than
an outright alliance. II Is COM
bination Of powers against an out
side party, whether the thing that
II seeks TO maintain is just or un-
just If 1t is weak 1t will be at
tackled, IL 1t is strong 1t must pre-
serve its strength against possible
attack
A Glaring Example.
Is there any chance of success for
any conference for any application
of the conference idea I'm the eN-
isting situation in Europe? Again
the fact is clear. IL Europe can
not come to terms with itself its
doom is sealed. But no conference
can succeed il only IA portion OF the
great powers are represented, n for
example France, Britain and Italy
are present and Germany absent,
or, If at the conference decisions
are reached which are bound to
be challenged by any strong Russia.
which may eventually arrive.
The League of Nations has fail
cd, insofar az IL has failed be-
cause IL undertook To defend and
preserve conditions which could
be preserved by force. The Anglo
French Entente OF 1909 succeeded
and expanded because IL was pre-
cedcd by "a general liquidation
of outstanding causes of dispute
between the parties at interest.
The Treaty of Washington and
the Association of Foreign Ma
tions, which it has provided, as
well as the Association OF Nine
Nations which seems assured by y
treaty which Is still 10 take defl-
mite form, seems destined To sue
coed, because it Is founded upon
free will recognition on the part
of all concerned Of things as they
exist in the Pacific at the present
hour.
1t is plain that every great power
in the world. and each small nation |
reasons for desiring not only n now |
conference at which economic II |
not political problems of the world .
may be discussed, but some associa- /
tion OF nations which will make CO.
operation in world reconstruction A.,
possible. IL Is clear that the legue /
of Nations as II is at present con
stituted, cannot be the meeting place |
of nations as II is at present con
great power, whose presence ~ vital
to the discussion of all economic
issues Is not a member and cannot
be a member in time
There Must BE q VIII.
But it Is hardly less clear that
no world organization can under-
take to preserve pehCe as between
France and Germany, Italy Cnd
Jugo -Slavia Poland and Russ'd.
World peace must in the long run
be predicated upon the existence
of such an effective desire for pea q
between each set OF rivals that they
are prepared to Join in voluntary
me mbership in the world orsanizu-
ton. having mutually rccogn! !zatiOn,
having mutually recognized as per-
manent and beyond challenge the
territorial condition and the politi-
cal Institutions OF the other.
So far as existing Anglo-French
rlvalries are directly concerned,
France and Britain could sign a new
entente today, the same Is true OF
France and Italy, OF the United
STAGES and all three and Japsrn as
wen. II there were any way of
bringing France and Germany to a 4
similar recognition of the existing
situation or of some compromise
situation. we night have a new con-
ference without delay and a new
association of nations without long
ponement. The trouble is that
no one has yet found a way to brins
a bout "A compromise.
ConCeivably such a compromise
might be found in a new economic
sub as is now being
generally discussed. Certainly the
experiment will have TO be tried he.
'ore long II general economic
collapse on the continent of Europe
Is to be avoided. But what must
1e appreciated now In this country
{ later dlsappointments are to be
ivoided IL that the truth about the
Washington conference Is not that
here has been discovered in it