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Show BRITISH EQITORS CIBI PICT Peace Treaty Terms Generally Gen-erally Satisfactory to English Journals. BY ARTHUR E. MANN. (Chicago Tpibune Cable, Copyright.) LONDON, May 8. delayed. The Paris treaty of peace with Germany will prove satisfactory to the majority of the British Brit-ish public, judging from the editorial comment appearing in the London and leading provincial newspapers. "What decided opposition has been expressed comes from the two extremist sections, such .as the ultra-conservative Morning Post and Evening Globe, on the one hand, and the radical labor organ, the Dally Herald, on the other. Between these two wings of criticism the press, both liberal and conservative, generally approves the terms. The opposition op-position and criticism which will persist per-sist after tho first excitement dies down will be mainly due to political causes and will be used In the coming campaign against Premier Lloyd George. Even those papers which are least enthusiastic en-thusiastic about the terms admit that they will do, if the military, naval and economic provisions leave the allies In a sufficiently strong position to enforce them if Germany attempts to squirm out. Critics Are Mollified. It is in this connection that the liberal and moderate conservative papers point out what they hope will prove to be the future value of the league of nations, while the severer critics are somewhat moMified by a proposal for what amounts to an Anglo-French-American defensive alliance. There is some complaint in a number of papers regarding the alleged inadequatenoss of the indemnity and reparation rep-aration demanded from Germany, and while the conservative organs feel that Danzig and the Saar valley solutions deal too leniently with the enemy, many of the liberal papers fear that these two questions contain seeds of future trouble. The Labor Organ. The most representative organ of the radical British labor and the so-called intellectual radicals, the Daily Herald, after tearing the treaty to bits as un-i un-i just, undemocratic and provocative of fu-i fu-i ture war, refers to President "Wilson's part as follows: "President "Wilson has been beaten. He set out with a pronouncement of high ideals. He forced public acceptance of those ideals on the other powers. But in secret they have beaten him. He has compromised on essentials, and because of that the details have gone astray. We pinned our faith to President Wilson. We believed in him. We do not judge him. We do not know what reasons he had for abandoning 'open covenants openly arrived at' for the sinister secrecy of Paris. What we do know Is that from the moment he abandoned this, the first of his fourteen points, he in effect abandoned aban-doned .all." Approves Treaty. Lord Beaverbrook's Daily Expess, a strorrg supporter of the prime minister, leads the London press In approval of the treaty, saying: "The terms offer ample security for the future and just reparation for the past. It la a good peace and a great peace." The Times implies general support of the treaty, but is perturbed over the division divi-sion of confiscated German ships. The Times says: "No shares of these ships allotted to Great Britain can put herein the splendid position secured to the American Ameri-can mercantile marine, If all the eighty-nine eighty-nine German ships, including the great liners, now In American harbors are to be assigned to the United States." On the other hand, Northcllffe's plain spoken Daily Mail makes much more critical comment of the treaty and seems to prophesy further opposition. It expresses ex-presses particular dissatisfaction with the indemnity clauses and says; Fall Short of Pledges, "As it stands, the terms will not go far to meet our just claims, and we fear that Great Britain will find that the terms fall far short of Mr. Lloyd George's oft-repeated pledges." The conservative Daily Telegram characterizes char-acterizes the summary as "not a weak peace." The critical and more conservative conserva-tive Morning Post concludes: ''One tiling ia certain, the terms can only become realities by the power and will to enforce them. The league of nations, as such, can hardly be the instrument of enforcement. enforce-ment. That Instrument if it is to be effective ef-fective must take the shape of a working alliance between the principal powers concerned." Generally Satisfactory. The liberal Daily Chronicle believes that the treaty Is generally satisfactory, but has some doubts regarding the compromise com-promise settlement of the Kiel canal and the Danzig questions. The still more liberal lib-eral Daily News finds fault principally with the economic terms, which it thinks too severe, and with the fact that no progress is made regarding the question of limiting armaments of the allies. The leading provincial papers take the same attitude. Inasmuch as only the .summary of the treaty lias po far heen mncie public, and that even that is difficult diffi-cult to digest hurriedly, there will undoubtedly un-doubtedly be. continued comment for some time to come, particularly along partisan lines, as the merits of the set tie. n en t come to he used in domestic political issues. |