Evening star., 1924-10-26

Coolidge's suggestion of new arms
confer ence was disposed of. Not be-
ing members of the league, we cannot
work for a revision of the treaty of
Versailles through the league, nor
can we press such an attempt without
getting into complications with the
league. as well as with every allied
nation from Japan to Poland, all of
whose interests we should assail.
Would Foster Future War.
But, aside from the unpopularity
such a crusade on our part might
draw down upon our elves, ii would
have more evil consequences in keep
ing alive unrest in Europe. We can
not get for Germany one inch of the
territory she has lost, whether CO.
lonial or national But we can by
insisting that she should have her
lands back keep alive German hope
and play into the hands of just those
elements in Germany which are
preaching a war of revanche. The
effect of any Intervention on our part
would be to give moral Endorsement
TO German claims and thu postpone
any settling down under existing con-
ditionS.
To advocate an active foreign pol
icy which aims at procuring a re-
vision of the treaty of Versailles is
sufficiently an abstract declaration to
pass unchallenged, but to commit the
Government of the United States to
policy which would seek to persuade
friendly nations to urrender terri
tories which have been assigned to
them, have passed fully under their
control-territorie their titles to
which seem at least as good as ours
TO Southern California or Porto Rico
and historically infinitely better
that is patiently a different matter.
And the project becomes the more
preposterou when it envisages such
action not against one nation, but
many.
The Treaty of Versailles may be the
worst ever made-I do not believe it
but that is immaterial. 1t may vio-
late every separate provision of the
armistice-which il emphatically does
rot--but that. too, is a detail. Never
tbeless we shared in the making Of
the treaty and then repudiated the &C
ion of our representatives. But we
did not in thus repudiating that ac-
-tion demand a revi ion. On the con-
trary, we made separate peace with
Germany, and let it go at that.
' Too Late for Appeal.
Now, six years after the armistice,
we cannot invite the world to go
back and reopen the whole discus
sion, because there is an element or
y political party in the United States
which thinks Germany was badly
treated and that the final settlement
was not in accord with the terms of
the armistice. We cannot blandly pro-
pose a revision of the frontiers of
Europe. because we do not like them,
and base our action upon superior
virtue and International idealism.
What Senator La Toilette and his
party propose to do can only be done
by force and by war. All the terri
tory taken from Germany was
, acquired by Germany or by Prussia as
result of conquest and of violent
conquest Each loss represents a
restitution Of stolen property. The
conflict between the Germans and the
SIavs, between the French and the
Germans, these are centuries old and
have had many adjustments. Not i'm
probably, there are still other
changes to come, but they will not
come through the Intervention of the
United States as detail in domestic
politics and because of a platform
declaration intended to catch voters
who are sprung of a certain alien
stock.
Neither under moral nor physical
coercion would the American people
consent to part with a single square
inch of their own territory, whe cher
originally acquired from Great Britain,
France. Spain, Mexico, Russia or the
North American Indians. Whether
taken by conquest, purchase or by our
war of Iiberations. In the Civil War
we steadfastly refused to permit
Europe to persuade or coerce US into
letting the South go, although on
the basis Of the doctrine of self-de-
termination the South had better