Sept. 8.
Waen, at the end of last week, the telegrams from Europe appeared to herald a conflict between Poland and Lithuania, we drew attention to the danger of a fresh world war arising therefrom. Actual conflict between Poles and Lithuanians though only yesterday denied is now admitted, and we shall do well to consider that particular danger spot as a whole, for its existence ems to damn all hopes of peace arising out of the Versailles Treaty. We shall also be forced to some conclusions which give the lie to the phrases of which we have been rather fond—war-weariness and the like—and incidentally to express grave doubts of the practicability, except on very broad lines, of our much vaunted doctrine of self-determination. In considering the subject we must first of all see what the Treaty of Versailles did and what has been done thereafter. The Treaty created an independent Poland and Finland, and gave an eternal cause of trouble between the former of these and Prussia by creating the danzig corridor. What the Treaty did not do but what has since been done is the creation of three other independent States, Lithuania, Esthonia and Latvia; they created themselves and it has been found necessary by the Powers to recognize their governments. Between Latvia and Esthonia there is bad blood, and between Lithuania and Poland friction is constant, but it is of a peculiar kind, and further consideration must be given to it because of the danger from that quarter of which the telegrams have warned us. What we have is a collection of three small States at fend with their neigh-hours, already a factor making for the disturbance of world peace, and we shall find that the farther we go the more dangerous do they become as such.
Poland has been the subject of much criticism, not only on account of her offensive two or three months back against the Bolshe-vis, but also for her attitude towards Lithuania. In mitigation of that first complaint we have to bear in mind that all our ideas of what the Bolsheviks are likely to do or become in the future are-based on nothing but theory, and, having them as neighbours and thus being in a peculiar position
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.