Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-06-24


month.
IL was the result Of the discovery
that before the three Great Powers
America, Great Britain and France
could mako a peace to be imposed
upon Germany. or, incidentally. meet
with united front the unfolding de-
mands OF Italy. they must perforce
come to some positive understand
ing among themselves.
The first two months OF the Peace
Conference. up to this time, mao
served only to reveal the depth or
the chasm OF difference that existed
hctven the New and the Old: be-
tween America, led by Wilson on the
one hand. and France. led by Glenn
enceau and supported at essential
points by Lloyd George. on the other.
All along President Wilson had
clearly seen the inevitability OF this
conflict. The Past and the Present
are i'm deadly grapplc." he had said.
lie was fighting Ito do away with
an old order and establish new
one" And the old order was tcna-
cious and did not propose to be done
away with.
The earlier struggle had served to
test out the President and II had
been shown clearly that he was ap-
preaching the settlements with a
deadly sincerity Of purpose. America
had set up "a new program for the
world: the President meant TO tight
for IL 10 the limit OF his capacity.
Wilson's Initial Success.
lie had had surprising successes
at the hcginning-as has been shown
In previous chapters. He had TO a
remarkable degree got the attention
of the world settled upon the League
~ Nations: he had secured the
acceptance of the Covenant as the
basis az the peace; he had made it
an integral part OF the treaty. he
had defeated the attempt 10 parcel
out the colonial spoils, and finally he
had demolished in one bold stroke
March 15) the intrigue, hstched
while he was away. 20 sidc-track his
whole program with a preliminary
treaty in which the League was 70
have no place.
These things we're most alarming
90 the other Allies. especially TO the
French. They saw their extreme
program for security. repsrations
expansions. going by the board
Surely the victors, II they want II.
rs Lloyd George and Clemenceau
said in joint memorandum on the
Italian settlements, ARE entitled &c
some more solid reward than theo'
retical map-makers. working in thu
void. may on abstract principles fee
disposed 10 give them
Immediately upon Wilson's return
therefore. Wilson. Clemenceau and
lloyd George held a secret meeting
at the Cr,llon Hotel. and the acute
problem OF finding some basis o
unity among themselves was bluntl,
put: We must get together"
But Wilson argued. IN effect: wv
must get together on the basis o
the new order. on the principles lai'
down and accepted, with the LeaEu
Of Nations as the cornerstone OF I'll
peace" To this Clcmenceau re
. sponded doggedly: France mus
HtSl ne lildNt SECURE.
Wilson argued: We have ofrere
France a world guarantee ot securit
in the Covenant; we will so eve,
further and consider special guar
antee by America and Great Britain
We will also leave large bodies c
our troops here TO protect you unit
peace is firmly established" Blu
again Clemenceau objected: "Thi
is not enough. We must have
Rhine our strategic frontier. W
must cripple Germany permanent
in an economic sense"
Wilson VI. French Idea.
Here were irreconcilable differ
enCes. not OF detail but OF funda
mental attitude and policy. Wilso
was thinking Of permanent worl
peace based upon sound moral prir
oiples, hacked by mutual suarar
tees: France was thinking only {
French security. French reparation
French expansion. Wilson saw tru
safety only in mutual trust; but tn
French saw safety only in ''reekin
tube and iron shard." II was
difference as fundamental al
eternal as human progress.
Four months had elapsed since II
war had ceased and there was Il
peace. The world was CROWN
every week more chaotic. Bolshe,
ism, like a vast black cloud. hung
the East; the storm was alYead
breaking in Hungary. Starvatio
threatened all Central Europ
Great strikes had broken out
England. Revolution was stewir
in both Germany and Austria.
vast discomfort and impatiencc W.
arising among the undemobilizs
and war-weary armies. 1t locke
for a time as though the who
world would be swept over the brir
into anarchy. No one who was n
at Paris can fully realize how de
perate these conditions appeared.
Out OF this situation grew Il
Council OF Three later the Four. ii
heads OF the great States, the mo
powerful men in the world, meetir
together alone and secretly trying
come 20 some understanding amor
themselves. The Council Of Ten h;
proved too cumbersome (sometim
there were thirty 20 fifty in atte
dance) and too open. For a mon
these three men sometimes fou
met together. Often no, secretari
were present, and no Official minut
were kept except of one meeting.
was in this priod that the Preside
first hroke down physically. and
was during this time. also, that
considered Withdrawing the Amer
can delegation from the conferen
and going home: he even order
the George Washington TO sail ir
mediately from New York to tai
the Americans away. At this tin