PLAN FOR A LASTING SETTLEMENT
StR,—It may seem early to start talking about a peace settle- ment at this stage of the war, but many are asking already how any effective solution can prevent another attempt at world domination in the near future. Some solid basis for peace, and a mechanism for maintaining it, must be found. For the two prevalent evils of the last decade have been the instability of peace and the maldistribution of resources. Let us .turn to history to suggest a solution of the problem.
In 1815, when Napoleon was defeated, the four victorious Powers formed a Quadruple Alliance to prevent a recurrence of French domination. In i818 France herself was admitted into what became known as the Quintuple Alliance. And yet only two years later the Alliance began to break up. Europe was already splitting up into two rival blocs, with the consti- tutional States, Britain and France, on one side, and the despotic States, Austria, Russia and Prussia on the other.
Bearing this historical parallel in mind, we can apply it and improve upon it in the present case. It is not so much the actual terms of the Peace Treaty that can be suggested here, as some sort of mechanism for maintaining a lasting peace. Let us suppose that peace is initiated by Italy, as the most impartial neutral. Then a settlement is reached, which is in no way humiliating to the German people, though some solution satisfactory to all concerned would have to be found in regard to Poland and Czecho-Slovakia. When this is con- cluded, a Quadruple Alliance should be formed, consisting of Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy on equal terms. This would, of course, be a purely defensive affiance, for aggression can have no place in the new order. Now all these four Powers will possess governments which are in varying degrees answerable to their respective peoples. This is, of course, assuming that the Nazi Government is supplanted by some more representative regime. Italy is becoming every day more susceptible to the voice of its people. Russia and the United States are purposely excluded from the Alliance, Russia because of its incurably despotic nature, and the U.S.A. because of its traditional reluctance to become involved in European affairs. One of the most obvious causes of war is economic insufficiency at home, and this is caused by the worldwide maldistribution of resources. Thus it would be incumbent upon the Alliance Powers to promote better distri- bution by means of rigorous tariff agreements, perhaps
permitting low revenue tariffs if complete free trade could not be accepted. Better distribution is now essential, for the world is producing, for the first time in history, more goods than can be consumed under the present system.
Thus in a Quadruple Alliance of the type described there would be found the necessary mechanism for maintaining peace by negotiation between allies, or in the last resort, by appeal to the United States or to Russia as arbitrators or mediators. Moreover, this Alliance would initiate the right distribution of resources, and thus remove one of the chief causes of war. It would solve the problems of insufficiency and of war provoked by attempted domination of the world.—
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