Evening star., 1921-11-04
CHAPTER XIX.

On October s. 1918. Germany sued
for peace. After three weeks of cor
respondence, made public day by day,
President Wilson informed Germany
that the allies were ready to conclude
peace on the basis of the terms set
out above. Such was the clear,
straight road which led from the
formulation Of Europe's war aims in
1916 and 1917 and their Endorsement
by the United States in 1918 to the
armistice in the beginning of Novem-
ber. 1919. and to peace. Never mad
policy been clearer. more open and
more coherent. Everybody. before
even the negotiations began. knew
the objective sought. The peace, with
all it's principles and all its conss-
quences, appeared clearly before the
eyes of the nations long ere 1t was
drawn up and signed by the negoti-
atorS.
Pence Born of War.
In other words, the peace was born
of the origin and character of the
war itself. 1t was willed by the peo-
pies before being formulated by the
governments. 1t. was formulated by
The governments as early as the end
of 1915 in harmony with the instinct
ginning of 1918. the United States in
turn declared it's conception of the
peace it only emphasized principles
which neither America nor anybody
else could have varied, for they were
of the very nature of things and die
tated by circumstances. Such being
its source, the peace could not be a
peace of conquest and of Imperialism.
If 1t Is not a peace of conquest it is
not because of the fourteen points.
nor because Mr. Wilson forced his will
upon Europe, nor because the allied
governments bowed before America
through weakness or lack of fore
sight. 1t is because Mr.. Wilson in
his fourteen points. his speeches, like
the allies declarations of 1916 and
1917. like the resolutions of the
French parliament of the same year.
had merely obeyed the dictates of his
tory. had merely registered the VIII
of the warning peoples. 1t is because
the peace of victory. offspring of the
war, had necessarily to confirm and
not to repudiate the ideals for which
the war was fought.
Character From Unanimity.
The peace derives its whole char
acter from this unanimity of purpose.
And if in all of it's chapters-whether
they deal with frontiers or new states,
whether they deal with reparationS
or the international affairs of nations
this character reappearS. one may
regret and diSapprOve, if one is of a
Bismarkian or of an imperialiSt turn
of mind. but no one has the right to
be astnoished. For all through the
war. all the allies without exception,
obedient to the peoples will, had
constantly proclaimed that. when vic
tory was won, the peace would be ex-
actly as it was made.
The conference meets. The men
and the materials are gathered. The
work awaits. What method shall be
followed. In the early part of Jam
uary. the French delegation had pro-
posed a general plan of procedure
which NJ. ClemenCeau had asked me
to prepare.
Fifty-Eight Groups Formed.
Under this plan fifty-eight groups
were formed. including. in addition to
the plenipotentiaries and the heads Of
government departments, men rep
resentinS every type of human ac-
tivity, lawyers. financiers. historians,
manufacturers, business men, admin
istrators. professors, journalists, SOL
diers and sailors, who brought a wide
personal experience to every problem
along with the results of the prelim-
mary studies in which nearly all Of
them had participated. These CONF
missions, albeit organized as occasion
demanded from day to day, responded
none the less to the requirements of
efficient organization. very large
amount of work, in committe meet
ings and in reports. was furnished b.
them. On every question a scrupu
lously fair hearing was given to AL
interested parties as often as they
desired. More than 1,500 commit
tee meetings were held, often sup
plementd by local Investigations. 1t
is the conscientious effort of these
men that Mr.. Keynes has sought to
fidicule in his book on the conference.
1.-THE poisonous morass of Paris to
cite but one of the least violent of
his epithets, has naught to fear from
his invective. Rarely was a political
undertaking more honestly and more
scrupulously prepared. I~may add
that despite the heat of certain de-
bates. all those who took part in it
have retained one for another a great
mutual esteem. the esteem of men of