The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-10-14

Peace Bought by Pieces Of Nation
Likely to Last Only for "A While
Much in Situation in Central Europe Has Not Been Told;
Roosevelt and Hull Handled Affair With Fine Abiliy
Versailles Treaty Blamed for Trouble.
BY WILLIAM BRUCKART
WNU Service, National Press Bldg, Washington ID. G.

WASHINGTON.-It appears that
the world is going to be spared a
general European war for while,
and yet it should be recognized that
the period Of peace that has been
bought with pieces of a nation is
likely to be only "a while" From
all of the information available in
Washington's diplomatic corners
combined with the judgment of men
who know European politics-and
European human nature-it seems
that the balance is so delicate as to
permit a powder key being fired by
an inconsequential firecracker.
Nevertheless, there is much that
has not been told about the situation.
Little has been said, for instance,
about the basic problem in the GEN.
ter of Europe, nor has there been
real franmess about the part which
American representatives had in the
original setting of the present day
grief. American political conditions
domestic politics-obviously con-
stitute one reason why there has
been only infrequent references to
the underlying causes of the trouble.
A more important reason, however,
is that if there had been much talk
about our original interest, there
would have been many more sug-
gestions from abroad that Uncle
Sam should come in and act as
arbiter. Surely, there was no one
in this country willing that Presi-
dent Roosevelt should do that. Mr..
Roosevelt foresaw that possibility
early; so he confined American eff
forts to earnest pleas for avoidance
Of war, for use Of common sense
methods Of settlement.
I think that Mr.. Roosevelt and
Secretary Hull Of the state depart
ment handled the extremely deli
cate situation with fine ability. The
pleas which went out to contending
forces carefully avoided possibility
of entanglements; yet, even the bull
headed Hitler must have felt the
pressure that was represented by
them, pressure ON whatever ma
chinery within him that he calls his
mind and heart. More than that,
public appeal by the United States
certainly gave added courage to the
Europeans who were trying to solve
the problem without paying ten mill
lion lives and billions in money.
Root of All the Trouble
Lies in Versailles Treaty
But let us quit kidding ourselves
about the European situation. Why
dodge around the bush concerning
the underlying facts and the blame
that attaches, including such blame
as belongs to us?
We must recognize these facts:
/. The root of all the trouble is i'm
bedded in the Treaty of Versailles.
In that treaty, written in 1919, there
were injustices that could only lead
eventually to head-on collision. It
was in the Versailles peace negotia-
tions after the World war that Presi-
dent Wilson coined the phrase, "self
determination of peoples" 1t was in
those negotiations, too, that Lloyd
George of England, Clemenceau of
France, and Orlando of Italy, traded
Mr.. Wilson out of everything be-
fore they would agree to his ideal
ism, founding of the League of Ma
tions. No one can say that Woodrow
Wilson lacked sincerity; and it was
this deep sincerity, ironically, that
was preyed upon by the other three
victorious nations. Mr.. Wilson yield
ed when a majority Of Americans
knew at the time that he was being
trapped.
2. Europe has been made, by fate,
the abiding place of many racial
and human types. They are races
and types which have characters
tics and traits, training and tradi-
ton that never have mixed, and
never will mix. Central Europe is
q melting pot where nothing ever
has melted. "Self determination Of
peoples" would mean the segrega-
ton Of each and every type and
race. It is a possibility. of course, to
segregate them as Mr.. Wilson the
orized, but II is not at all probable.
Mr.. Wilson supplied those people
with a new idea and then allowed
the "big three" of the Versailles
conference to capitalize on his aims.
There has been some measure of
fighting about it ever since.
Greed and Vengeance
Short-Sighfed Policy
8. The greed of the allied powers
and the vengeance which they
sought to wreak on Germany now
is proved, as it was charged in 1919,
to have been a short-sighted policy,
capable of establishing peace only
until Germany recuperated and re-
gained some strength. OF course,
the victors were determined to pre-
vent Germany ever again from at
tempting to destroy the world and
promote her own selfishness, but
their efforts in that direction dis
played only the tendencies of hate,
none Of the indications of caution or
far vision. Even though it be an