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Show COMPLEX QUESTION'S. 'Hie meeting t Veiri:iilles will bo the most important peace conference of nil timo aDd it is apparent that the prob-lfmfl prob-lfmfl presented for solution will be considered con-sidered from every possible angle hefore ;i conclusion is rearhod. Great Britain itfui Franco wcye parties to an economic cont'eronce before the United States entered en-tered the war. The- arrangements made at that time arc how obsolete because new conditions have arisen by reason of our participation, and the declaration declara-tion that the war was being waged to muke the world safe for democracy and not for the purpose of conquest ana gain. If a league of nations is to be formed it is evident that one cannot be exalted at the expense of the others, but that each country becoming a member must enjoy the same rights and privileges. privil-eges. Great Britain has long prided herself upon the fact that she was "mistress of the seas" and that her fleet proved the salvation of Kurope in the war just ended cannot be denied. The British ndwspupers fear that the peace conference confer-ence may attempt to restrict armaments and thus destroy British supremacy at sea. Just how the matter will- be settled set-tled we do not know, but as this country coun-try is going ahead with its naval program pro-gram we doubt if the fears of the London Lon-don papers are well founded. In order to make a league of nations effective there will have to be force behind it and that force, we take it, will have to be supplied or the most part by the United States and Great Britain. Japan, being in good financial condition, may nssiett in maintaining the equilibrium in tho orient, but the greater share of the burden will fall upon America and England En-gland because they havo tho necessary number of warships for duty. In the years to come it 11133 bo that condi-lions condi-lions will be such that great fleets will not be maintained, but until there is some assurance that war is really a thiug of tho past, it would undoubtedly be foolish to expect Great Britain to diminish di-minish the number of her warships or the United States to cease -work-in the navy yards. The other nations must . have faith in our good intentions in the meantime. The economic question looms large as the time for the conference approaches. All the nations have been preparing for rn extensive foreign trade upon the return re-turn of peace. If conditions of absolute equality are to prevail in the new era there will be no combinations and no favored nation?. It will be a difficult matter to balance the interests of the different countries after making due al- 1 low an ee 3 for tariffs, wage scales, manufacturing manu-facturing plants and raw material. To reconcile all conflicting trado interests would seem to be an. almost superhuman task and if a satisfactory arrangement Is perfected it will be one of the wonders won-ders of the age. rearrangement of the map of the world will not be so bothersome, bother-some, and there will be little difficulty in assessing damages against Germany, Austria. Turkey and Bulgaria for their joint participation in a monstrous ciime against civilization. President "vilson's fourteen points will without doubt be the basis of the negotiations al Versailles. All parties having subscribed sub-scribed to that much in advance, though with a reservation as to ''the freedom of sens ' clause and that relat ing to nade. ' But just how the plenipotentiaries plenipotenti-aries will work out the problems presented pre-sented cannot be foretold. The president presi-dent himself, however, seems to have faith that all will be. well. |