Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-15

When Macdonald told the Assembly
| that 1t was physically impossible to
draw any map of Europe which would
not create intricate and troubling mi
nority questions he touched upon the
real center Of the problem Of peace Of
today. And he could well have added
the equally exact statement that no
can be solved by territorial change
In the Europe of the present hour
there are, laying aside all Russian cir
cumstances, between $4,000, 900 and 90.
100000 of people living under govern.
ments to which they do not consent.
And behind these millions are not less
than 100,000,000 more for whom the
fate OF these dissatisfied minorities is at
once potent issue in domestic politics
and a determining factor in foreign
policy. But in the same fashion there
arc more than 10o0o0,ooO persons be-
longing to other nations for whom any
revision of the present frontiers Is to-
tally out Of the question.
Desire for Peace Held Universal
1t is fair assumption that in the
main the same desire for peace exists
IN all the great capitals and among all
100000 Germans for whom it re-
mains an impossible thing that the
existing frontiers should exist No pub
lie man. could live in the Reich who
proposed that Germany should accent
the territorial decisions of the treaty. of
versailles. But no Frenchman, italian.
Pole or Czechoslovak statesman could
survive advocacy of any revision.
MacDonalds idea as expressed at
Geneva was that the real solution must
come through the decision of the peo-
Piles having minority populations tn
treat them with consideration. This
suggestion pretty clearly indicates his
doubt OF the possibility of any remak-
ing OF frontiers. But the difficulty with
such a simple proposal lies in the fact
That 1t is equally unsatisfactory to the
peoples who possess minoritieS and to
those who are forced to submit to seeing
fractions of their races under alien rule.
A minority is not a mere accidental
collection of people belonging to one
race and ruled by another. 1t is first
OF all the basis of claim by some ma
ton to interfere in the domestic affairs
of another and of hope some day to
include this minority within its own
frontiers. No matter how kind and con-
s1derate the treatment of the German
minority in Poland, the people Of that
minority would still hope to return to
Germany and the Germans of the Reich
would hope to reclaim them.
II all the minority populations Of
Europe would accept their destiny as
promptly and as completely as do the
foreign-born elements in the United
States, there would be no minority issue.
The persistence of their mother Ian
guages among the Pennsylvania Dutch
or the Scandinavians of the Northwest
| does not disturb any one on our side of
| the Atlantic because this persistence
does not threaten American territorial
| unity. Sweden viii not some day claim
Minnesota because some thousands or
hundreds of thousands of the people Of
that State cling to memories of their
past.
Ma iorities are Embittered.
On the other hand, just as long as
the Germans in Poland and Czecho-
slovakia and the Magyars in Rumania
and Czechoslovakia constitute bases for
claims for revisions of treaties, the Poles
the Czechs and the Rumanians are
bound to do everything possible to
assimilate or expel the. discordant and
dangerous elements. But just as GER
tainly each measure of c0ercion or OPP
preston embitters not only the minority
but the free majority to which 1t be-.
longs. "a
Moreover, the whole question Of Sc
curity turns upon The same issue. No
nation will disarm while it knows that
an adjoining country demands that
there be new frontiers Disarmament
waits upon the arrival of the time when
peoples feel secure and this happy time
can come only when all nations are
prepared to make the formal announce
ment that they accept their existing
frontiers.
And in the larger sense the whole
question turns upon the final decision
of the German people. Germany is very
shortly to be free from all occupying
armies. She is sure within the present
generation to be more powerful in every
sense than any of her neighbors. If she
decides to use her power. their saliva
ton must lie in making a common
cause, in arming themselves and striv-
ing to keep her disarmed.
But all Germans feel that they are
as a matter of right entitled to a re-
vision of the treaties. That they should
now resign what they hold to be mat
ter of right and equity is not to be ex-
pected. In this situation there is lar
more chance that Germany will pres
emily arm than that her neighbors will
disarm. But as she arms, her neigh
bors will add to their preparations.
Americans who are inclined to criti-
cize the Germans should recall that
they would be in similar position II
Mexico, by reason of military victory.
took back California. In that case is
it conceivable that either the Califor-
mans or the citizens of this coun-
try generally would accept the loss Of
territory as final and abandon all hope
and purpose of regaining the lost
province?
Fifty Million Freed by War.
And would the critics who denounce
the Polish Czech or Rumanian treat
81 1aa ~k;a
larly those who are citizens of southern
states, to turn over to the League Of
Nations the authority to watch over the
political as we'll as the material inter
ests of the Negro and agree to abide by
the dictates of Geneva?
Americans are accustomed to regard
war as the worst thing in the world,
and 1t would be for us. But the last
war, bad as it was. resulted in the liber-
alton of nearly fifty millions of people
living under intolerable conditions. For
them this war, so costly to all the great
powers, vas a war of independence
worth all 1t cost them In blood, treasure
and misery.
No one wants 10 fight today, but no
one is willing today to abandon finally
what can only be gained by fighting.
Kellogg pacts and League covenants do
not go to the root Of the matter because
DOOtA oSoa.1a ACMS0y "Atuor5 onCA A6
any substitute. The League has so far
been impotent because it has no power
to persuade nations having minorities to
surrender them or Of compelling mi
norities and their free brethren to give
up hope of eventual freedom.
Peace by pact is q method of dealing
with questions between peoples who are,
in the main. satisfied with their present
condition. But pacts may easily become
instruments Of oppression in the eyes
Of dissatisfied peoples. And today with
the reparations and evacuation prob
lens out of the way, or practically so,