If there is to he peace of the world there must be condi
tions by which the nations may live. It is essential that the
new countries, carved from Austria-Hungary, shall have ac
cess to the Mediterranean, or they must slowly strangle for
lack of those commodities which are necessary to the support
of modern states. In default of such an outlet to the commerce
of the world, they must struggle for it, fight for it at times.
This is the law of self prccervatlon, an unavoidable law. For
neither men nor nations will consent to be cut off from the
elements of healthy existence without a struggle.
That there was a private treaty between Great Britain and
Italy is unfortunate; but it cannot govern a condition deter
mined by a conquest, and determined by a conquest into which
America threw the preponderance necessary to decide the vic
tory. The other nations receive, besides the boon of self preser
vation, the salvage of millions of their sons and billions of
their treasure, much in a material way. France gets Alsace
and Lorraine; obtains lost mines of iron and coal, more preci
ous than gold. Gets the Rhine as a barrier between herself and
Germany, a zone that will be stripped of means of offense.
Italy is extended to those mountain walls, her natural
frontiers, and her age old barriers, and gets much else besides.
Great Britain obtains possessions, safety, a renewal of op
portunity to be first, or among the first, in trade. All get
great indemnities.
America gets nothing, asks nothing, except the opportun-.
-ity to make the world sure for peace and safe for democracy.
If America fails in either of these aspirations', the sons of the
people have been sacarificed in vain.
