The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1920. WHY NOT PEACE?

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3570, 4 September 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1920. WHY NOT PEACE?

With which is incorporated "The Taihape Post and Walmarino News,”

The temporary triumph of Polish, arms against the Russians has loosened the tongue of the Polish comman-der-in-chief to say that Poland will wage war to the bitter end. That must be taken to mean that Poland is determined to completely conquer the largest empire on earth, leaving it prone, helpless to exert any forcefulwill in reorganisation of the »ffa : rs of Europe and of the world. Only a few short weeks ago Poland was suing for an early peace; the Russians were already hammering at the portals of Warsaw, and the Polish army we t delirious with joy when they learned that their capital city had been saved. The Poles were then left comparatively unaided by the ..Allies in those evil circumstances, but Allied help at the psychological moment enabled them not only to -stave off the day of capitulation, hut to open up an offensive that has resulted in ! Qir.t3 a different complexion being given to the military situation. What is not quite understandable to citizens of most countries in both hemispheres is that under threat of the nearness of defeat the President of Poland was quite satisfied with bounda-ies, froitiers, as provided for in Allied Councils, but no sooner do the Poles think themselves stronger than their enemy than they commence regarding those frontiers ns something to be disregarded and their armies pass over them and talk about continuing the war to the hitter end. While the Russians were victorious America, Britain, France and Italy were impatient about those frontiers being respected, hut during the last fort- ■ night nothing has been heard from, either country concerning them, and • the Polish general, Pilsudski, states that he is not going to sigh any peace until the “Reds;” are completely crushed, for he thinks, now that the fortunes of war are in his favour, any peace concluded with Lenin would be illusory and not a real peace. Pilsudski presents n formidable and truly incredible proposition, which is, that huge Russia shall be compelled to accept domination from midget Poland. The Polish General admits that the Poles are not: militarily strong enough to guard the frontier between their country and Russia; if that is so would it not mean an effort to perpetuate war to endeavour to completely conquer the Reds? The Poles have repeatedly iterated avowals that they required nothing further than the frontiers allotted by Allied Councils, and they were prepared to accept a peace if those frontiers were assured, but because Pilsudski “thinks” the Russians are not honest in their expressed willingness to conclude a peace on such terms, that they have not renounced their intentions of continuing the struggle; because he prefers to “think” Poland will continue to be the object of Russian aggression, the Poles will continue the war to the bitter end. Up to this point ■the sympathy of all nations has gone out to Poland; much help has reached Poland from Allied and neutral countries through various channels, but no man on earth can predict with any degree of certainty what this throwing down of the gauntlet afresh by Pilsudski is going to terminate in, or lead to. The end need not be excessively or seriously bitter to either* Russia or Poland if peace is concluded on the Allied basis, but if it is to be war to the bitter end there is no certainty that the bitterness will not -

be found in the cup of Poland at the finish. No news has reached this Dominion that can cast an atmosphere of reasonableness over the new attitude of Pilsudsld, unless it is that between the lines it is possible to read in a good deal about promises of help from the Allied nations. If i such promises have been made will j the governments making them remain j able to keep them? Even leaders of the world have accused one section of people with manoeuvring to continue a state of war in Europe, and it has been suggested that “war profit” is the actuating motive. It is undeniable that some political factors are opposed to the Peace Treaty with Germany, and to the League of Nations. Because they “think” the League would not be a perfect means of preventing war from their viewpoint, it should be resisted, and the old lying diplomacy, the rushing of millions into a bloody orgy of murder and massacre, and rapine, at the will of, half-a-dozen who are actuated by the desire to grab the wealth of those who fight and die. should continue in the future, as in the past. The ultimate of such a future is too awful and appalling to contemplate. When the wealth of the masses is exhausted, we have several times pointed out. that of the next social stratum will be commenced upon, it always has been so. Farmers now realise that their commodities are likely to be forced upon a market under far less favourable circumstances than obtain with South American commodities, and they are alarmed. They are told —and they believb—if is a vagary of marketing conditions. It is nothing of the kind; it is the work of the few who will go a long way towards impoverishing the world before the Nemisis overtakes them that will not only impoverish them but also take from them their very lives. A discontented Ireland is a rupture on the Empire skin that no specific yet invented can cure, but widespread discontent brought about by deprivation and suffering as a result of a few war-profit seekers will spread the cancer over the whole British Empire and over all other empires, anything else would be contrary to nature. When the torch of civil war starts into flame who, will dare to put a limit to the fire? If war profit makers did not desire to have a continuance of war in Europe peace could be arranged tomorrow.' It is positively perplexing bewildering to witness the determination to have a continuance of war whatever the cost of human life and of taxation-levied from the people. Many millions of British money added to millions from the United States have been spent in trying to- force a governing system upon Russia that Russians will not have, and that money has been worse than squandered, because it has been used to destroy human life, and to devastate millions of acres of cultivated country. All countries involved in the ■great war are anemic, bloodless and enfeebled with the drain of war upon life and wealth, excepting the United States and Japan, and strange to say it is in these two countries there is that opposition to a world peace which potently militates against the complete inauguration of a League of Nations; it is in those two countries the seat of the war profit cancer is discovered, and it is apparent that -cancer virus will continue its fell operation as long as there is human material in Europe from which to •extract war profits, and, finally, it is not beyond the range of probability thoee war profit vultures will not set the millions of American citizens to tiy at the throats of the Japanese people and thereby precipitate the Armageddon between Occident and Orient which has for long been troubling the minds of the world’s greatest thinkers. There is not anything in sight that warrants a moment’s delay in directing the people and leaders of Poland to conclude a peace with Russia satisfactory to themselves and in the best interests of civilisation. While the Poles were suffering defeat the Allies demanded that Russia should agree to an armistice, why are they not anxious for that armistice now that Polish fortunes are in the ascendant? A Million times, WHY?