When, however, we come to such phrases as " independent
" we enist ask for definitions. If by " independent " is meant inde- pendence analogous to that enjoyed by the State of Virginia, the State of New York, or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, then no doubt there will be no difficulty in satisfying President Wilson on this point. But if he means by an " independent " State independence such as that possessed by Switzerland or Holland, Ls will find that he is getting into very deep waters indeed. Let hiss remember what happened at the time of the first and most revolutionary of the Dumas. If we recall the incident rightly, the first Duma, though willing enough to insist upon an extreme demo- cratic policy, would no more listen to a demand for Polish inde- pendence in the true sense than would the French Convention to the demand of La Vendee or of Brittany to separate itself from the rest of France during the Revolution, or (shall we say 1) than America did to the demand of the Southern States to set up an independent and autonomous confederation.
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