The Paris Peace Squabble

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 26, 27 June 1923, Page 8

The Paris Peace Squabble

~*' Everyone who went to Paris wher F'the gref_t Peace squabble was goin? i nbxk-attd who was allowed to cross th. of the hotels where th< inationiajli sectfons were enLjiamped, will have met, and will re, with pleasure, the genial anc of tho American Press rv <_epartment, Rety Stannard Baker - (Baker was a Wilsonian whose de .votion to his idol rarely weakened but whose di&spair grew with th< !i_ays. In these volumes lie defends j_ls man, admits his weakness, anc Exposes the squabble. It is & greia ' (IXi-P. book ("Woodrow Wilson anc Settlement." By Ray Stan 3_ard Baker. Three Vols. Heine $__aim. 3/6-.) t e;xpla'"nin,g how Pari. "'jEailed by mason of th e dishonesty anc 'lack of principle of the Allied states- . -men. v t ,s. 3= * * *« ,■'• Tli/o burden of 'the story is thai JjhY&nos never accepted th iei Wilsoniar 4 peace and was ever striving 10 gel found it; that Mr. Lloyd George, was Always so influenced by the fcvil public opinion he had madta for his political advantage thaU he was either hostile to the general policy of Wilson, or unreliable as a supporter, or too tricky to be trusted; that Wilson came from an atmosphere totally 'foreign to that of Paris and was '■jjbsadily borne down —that, in fact, ; 'America had only been used for the 'purposes of the Allies. --■. A document is given, dated February 11. 1317, showing ths.-t France Ihsn determined -to have "in territory" "the entire iron ■^'4_sl. ; r-'ct of and the entire ''coal district of the Saar Valley," and '' that the German territory on the left bank of the Rhine was "to be con/■Ctitutcd an autonomous aud neutral Sta-'ie and be occupied by French troops" unidl all obligations were No concealing of economic, motives here under high faiuting moral ~or poli,'cui langimge! But this was then a secret paper. ,' * * * * France MH herself deprived of her victory ,r,nu fought to regain it at :, the Conference. Tiui book "is full of drama-tic scries. This relates to one when Foch was •'gating tho civilian?!. it 'took place in tho ante-room of ihe Fijench Foreign. OHice outside thai Btecl-claspe-d door by which one- enters the Holy of Holies —the Minster's room. ".I saw," says Mr. linker. - : "fhese doors burst suddenly open as -;- [hough vigorously, pushtjd from withM In, and out strodo a shor.\ stocky. I ! grey-haired m,o.n Behind him j j canie Hying tho little agile P-cbon, ■ ' pleading with him to return. "Jama's, : Jamais!' said Marshal angrily. .■ No he would never return. H- w;is through with tlu- Peace t'( i,Mr rice. ;He would n;-.*%-*-r go back. Bui; :•.■■ v. moment ho w..s .-suddenly p.-o_a<M v, ' and he did go back.*' We wcrs all alike. We w :■-.•• a!s Working for our ovv a hands and our ! i own advantage, and tha war lihvhig ;.; been won, Wilson's moral ; U*--s w.-re a ; nuisance and he hhnaylf -as a bore ! with thf-s American professional midji idle-class family wixys and -Mrs. VVil- ;. son 0-t hi: ; elbow. Our ionr-csaua-tives were. b:und t c a diy\-ion o* ! Bpoil by secret agrci-ime2u. ; •'.which, ! however, we r_.rc*w ov&r wii'-n it suit- |, ed us): tlroy had no beli-/*\" "r. a Le-a- - --;l -gue of Nations; t !.,<".*■;/ fought t'--r col- ! f onjes. raw r,--a*.ei , :.a., reparations that i.l ."wei-d in;ri;s-iljlo. WHKS THEY H WFJRK CGRNrIRLD, THEY MANIPUIILATED DOMINION "PREMIERS.! !: This is another M Mc liule dramatic ! ■ scenes in >'v- book. ! ; : ~- ■■'■■■■ -S *>> jj . Thoy wero dlscrr-sir.g sr.oils and] |; Wilson was surprising una irrigating j | j them by showing that he r;o.-ly nnant j i what he said uhat ther.;. v,:- re -o be no j | Spoils of the ordinary U-nd. Great j j Britain, France and Italy, which had | 1 already shared the chickens before! jj.JtbJey were hatched, onnoycd f but j j .WilKon se-?med to be them. "At the afternoon, session of January -24, there w r as a, giiefat stir in he outer j room of the Frenclt- Foreign Office, 1 "where behind double-locked duors the [Council of Ten was sif.t.h__\ ; Ar, this I ratagc-f,' reports' th/y Secret -•i.iuites, j 'th*e Dominion Premiers entered tho jk-oom': a dry way indeed of setting forth tha dramatic arrival of the ;British Empire. Mr. Lloyd George ! W«u incomparable in staging such effects as this." The British Empire [•well staged beat Wilson and got the Lcoveted spoils. \ # • * » j Th<s accounts of Mr. Llyod Gcorga Wb.t& delicious reading. This is one Ijirtcture of him: "Lloyd George had pa-rtdently suffered ono of his char---|||icterist'c catitpultic changes of opla-'

By J. Ramsay Macdonald, M.P.

. lon. Opposition, which always hardened Wilson behind his principles, had exactly the contrary effect upon ';hie mercurial Welshman, who had politics but no principles—it sent him bounding to the other extreme." "CliSmenceau represented thfe unity of FrjamoQ; Lloyd Georga the diversity of Britain." # * * * Once more, v. r riting of Wilson's disappointment with Lloyd George, My. Bak'&r says: "Lioyd George Ifj-eeniad to have no guiding principles whatever. He was powerfully on one side one a > r powerfully on the other tte next. He was personally one of the most charming, amiable, engaging figures ,at Paris, full of Celiie quicksilver, a torrential talker in the Conferences, but no ona was ever quite sure, having heard aim express an unalterable determination on one day, that he would not i?.e unalter-ably determined some other way on tho day following. . . . He never seemed to consider that he -was [n tha least bound by ttie promises* .'solemnly made at the Arniistioe." a * * # To give a final summa-ry of the (instable characteristics of our Premfer: "He v.-as in his Mist-iiicLa pa pol-' itician of the old school, it v/as he who precipitated the fir.st political j scramble a\ Paris, tha demand in tlio i second we.e.k of the Conference for j division ol t.h.? German Colon' a.s j '••poils o? war, and his promise o" lingo • I indeinnfties, niad-j in Uis puiiUcal czmpiVgu of Di.cem!xr. ir»lS, v/as one of the chief obs-tacles tn a reasonable j I consideration ot the economic settle- i I ment at Paris." i i' Equally int"rr.stii!3 is the ciiarac-i ! fcf--ri-.ra ion of Clein"iiccau "as a i I strategist in diplomacy more than the j j <.;qual of Focli in war. ,. Throughout ' he is mere 'lw<, cynical and uu'-x-rup-. j uloua, al'owing leakages v/hen it '■ j suited him. using th?.- to aitack I j Wilroii, responsible for inuuidior-s-ed j ohangos in tlie wording of ihs Treaty. l devilishly able bvu unlovely. Sonnino lis funny, rapacious, And so , :-;t with the other great figures of; small men. j * * # ■» J In compiling his book, Mr. Eaker ■ has used decaments h ? therto uni>ub-; ij;.-iicd. and so pu's windows ; ; tuo ;:■■.>■ v;,ills where tl•.•""■ t'arif.-; .-:•';uabble v,'ith :, .f;-. other,joekC;, :■>■] ;-ach other, cH-.a-M each, ..:;m in the end :;ro;.h;f;ecl tho Verrfj.llv- Treaty. Tii:< ;.:;■;'■: '. like ;- ro:;-;. , novel. .\'l- l~:-\[ It]