New-York tribune., 1921-05-01
Treating Wrong as Right

Treating Wrong a. Right
May /, 1921. date long looked
forward to with hope, has brought
sadness. It is marked not by q re-
turn Of peace but By fat repudia-
tion by Germany Of the treaty she
signed and consequent re-applica-
ton Of coercion. The time is a fit
one to consider soberly the mistakes
Of the last seven years which have
led to such results.
The blunders have been many, but
they are traceable to one underlying
source. This is the worlds inability
or unwillingness to distinguish be-
tween guilt and innocence-its fatal
perverseness in treating wrong as if
it were right. Some peoples have
erred more than others, but all are
involved, and for the general sin all
naturally suffer.
When the German horde wantonly
poured over the Rhine and passed
the frontiers of Belgium it was i'm
mediately plain what civilization
must do if civilization was not to per-
ish. The call was to resist to the ut
termost and to subdue the evildoer
But this country, fer example, deaf
to the clear call, listened to advice to
be coldly neutral. Had we gone in
when the German purpose was re-
vealed millions Of lives would have
been saved.
The summons Ito confne review to
this country) came again when the
Lusitania slaughter further revealed
the spirit of the new barbarism.
Again it was ignored. The fatal pol
icy of seeking to make wrong serve
as right was continued.
Finally came our intervention.
and force was at last mobilized suffi-
eient to guard The human heritage.
The issue was simple, all understood
it, and the nation, inspired by a
great hope, nobly responded. But
even when going in an ominous sig
nal gave reason for alarm 1t
pleased one spokesman to call our
war partners associates rather than
allies, and hint was given that our
cause was differentiated from and
held superior to that Of others. 1t
was cruelty implied, if not said, that
the assailed and assailants were to
be blamed about alike.
Then, when the would-be conquer
ors were beaten, came the distress
ing revelations of the armistice nego-
tiations. We put forward a defini-
ton of right which meant that
q wrong was to be released to repeat
its crimes.
The peace was to be made by all
OF US, not imposed by some of us.
inevitably the conduct of our part
rers was brought under suspicion,
inevitably they resented the suspi-
cion, Inevitably disharmony came,
and inevitably the wrongdoer great
" rejoiced.
The effects Of this fatal confusion
Of right ana wrong are lamentably
now seen in every country. Russia
IS land of terror and starvation,
middle Europe is unable to settle
down to peaceful labor, the Levant
= battle-ground; Italy. France and
treat Britain are internally dis
mrbed, and a renewal Of the march
% Berlin has become necessary.
The big blunder that is the parent
e the little blunders is the failure
g recognize that the war had right
sade and wrong side, and that the
flsht side was to be lnfexibly up
aeld. Germany dares now to defy
kne peace treaty because she still be-
ileves, If she resists long enough,
nat her crime will be condoned-
snat the philosophy Of the Fourteen
olnts as she construed their teach
Us VIII yet control pxblic opinion in
silied countries or cause such per-
snent discord as will enable her to
@ sape the consequences Of her acts.
q u plain now, AZ it has been for
Zip seven years, that the only way
feal peace is through close union
losg the nations which associ-
5 - themselves to vindicate gen
s u 8 right. They have been arti-
.aly separated by the vogue of
lcscphy which supports wrong by
nslns to right It's proper suprem-
AZ long as this philosophy,
saerading IA the robes o. moral
stalks abroad the world may
~ hope for quiet. Our allies
apsrfect ss va are imperfect,