The Paris Socialist journal L'Huntanite published on Saturday last a
confidential despatch, in which M. Pichon rejected a British proposal that the Bolsheviks and the local Russian Governments should be allowed to send delegates to the Peace Conference if they would cease from lighting among themselves. The object of this outrageous indiscretion was to injure M. Clemenceau's Ministry, by representing it as less liberal-minded than ours. The despatch, which was written early this month, was falsely antedated to December 5th, to suggest that M. Clemenceau had concealed this British proposal from the Chamber, which recently approved of his anti-Bolshevik policy. We may assume that the proposal was one of Mr. Lloyd George's characteristic impromptus, put forward without reflection, and set aside as soon as its tunviadom had been pointed.out. Each of the Allies, in discussing the Russian problem, has doubtless made numerous impracticable suggestions which the others have declined. We cannot judge the Allied diplomatists by this fragment of their private oorrespondenee, torn from its context. In this case, of course, M. Piohon was absolutely right in refusing to have any dealings with Russian Anarchy. Democratic States cannot recognize the bloodstained Bolshevik rule, which is the negation of democracy.
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