Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-05-16
MONDAY EVENING. MAY is, 1921,

The nan who reads freely OF the comment on the
war and its after developments can scarcely fail to ex-
perience a feeling Of profound depression-if he believes
all that be reads. The, war, as most of us may recall, Awas
begun on rather short notice. a lot of history Was
crowded into a week. Austria served her ultimatum on
Serbia: Great Britain, France and Russia Joined in a
protest against Austrla's summary action: an appeal was
made TO Germany TO prevail upon her ally to make the
terms proposed BY her ally more reasonable; Germany
refused, processing inability to control Austria;s course:
Austria attacked Serbia; Russia moved for the protec-
ton OF her little ally; Germany declared war on Russia
and struck at France through Belgium; the French
armies were placed in the field; Great Britain declared
war against Germany one by one the smaller nations Of
Europe were brought in; the war had brought Europe
to the point of exhaustion and the United States entered
the conflict. These are some of tho outstanding features,
stated approximately in their proper order.
There was no time for elaboration on the part OF
any Of the nations of the Allied group. The aggressive
was taken by the central empires, and the other nations
vent to war because no other course was open to them
Short of Witnessing the world overrun by Germany. The
democratic nations did not go to war for conquest. The
reasons why they went to wal were very thoroughly an
alyzed while the war was in progress, and there has never
been the slightest reason to question the belief then stated
that these nations went to war in defense Of human
rights, Wi
The war was prosecuted for the sake Of high ideals.
We are now told with considerable regularity that those
ideals had been abandoned; that the nations which en-
gagged ihswarfare in defense of a holy cause have cast
their principles Ito the winds, and that their leaders, in
stead Of keeping before themselves the purpose of achiev-
ing a peace which should he one 81 justice and righeous-
ness, have become drunk with the lust of power and have
used the peace negotiations as a means of grabbing trade,
territory and power. S.
Fortunately, not all of this is true. 1t is true that
the war did not transform human beings into angels Of
light. 1t left them still human, with their human char.
acteristicsL In the work OF framing the treaty Of peace
there cropped out sonnething of selfishness, something
of ambition. something Of many other undesirable quail
tiles It 10 quite possible that these qualities were &C.
centuated BY the reactions from the long and tremendous
&train under which every man engaged in the peace ar
ranseupents had labored for long months or years. <
It may be possible that q company Of archanEels
could have passed through that experience and sat down
at a council table, with feathers unruffled, and prepared
a peace program which would have included all the heav-
emily things which are so greatly to be desired. Mere
human beings could not, and there has seemed to be
no way except to entrust the JOB to human beings, the
archangels being otherwise engaged.
We have been given descriptions of the work OF the
peace conference which would warrant the conclusion
that the copferees resenbled a gang of pirates quarrelins
over the loot from a ship which they had scuttled with all
hands on board. We have been given to understand that
the peace treaty is an atrocity scarcely less abominable
than war itself. 1t isn't SO. "
The treaty may be as full Of holes as a sieve. 1t
contains, in all probability, some features which are IN
workable and some which are unjust, But with all its
imperfections, it does represent honest effort to better
human conditions. and that effort has not been barren OF
results.