The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-20
president OF HUMANITY"
Does DR.. Wilson Really Believe That
Is His ONCE?

Does DR.. Wilson Really Believe That
Is His ONCE?
To II EDITOR or THE SuN-S.r. The
matter OF MFR. Wilson'S most conspic-
uous obsession. to which TIL Sun re-
ferred all too briefly In an editorial
article Of Saturday last, Is deserving Of
even more serious consideration than
was given some weeks ago to certain
other OF the Presidents psychological
revelations. II is perhaps not an ex-
aggeration to say that no considerable
public u%tterance Of our Chief Executive
during the past twenty months has been
without some avowal of the cardinal
doctrine OF his faith that consecrates
this nation to the service OF humanity.
True 20 the Ideal OF uplift and the
practice Of the uplifter. he seems to
find In the duty. Of his brethren his
most burdensome responsibility.
II In the ordinary walks OF life one
feels an obligation al the keeper OF his
brother he may choose between two in
terpretations Of the duty the one. Of
wide popularity among Puritans and
propa gandists. that the obligation lies
chiefly with the brother. in that the
brother should comport himself con-
formally with the moral persuasions
VI hAS nCNlti liz tIlcI thht une obiI
cation lies more with the keeper and re-
auires Of him a vigilant defence of his
brother against misfortune. injury and
injustice, while recognizing In the
brother a free moral agent entitled to
maintain his own reasonable standards
OF conduct. Which OF these two con-
ceptions OF fraternal piety nay be Of
the higher ethical attainment appears
to be somewhat a matter Of dispute
In our present progressive times but
which OF them begets the greater af-
lection in the heart OF the brother adj
mits OF no doubt.
Although in private life ones choice
between these opposed systems Of solicit
tude is his family AFFAIR. when a
man accepts office and go assumes to-
ward his brethren in general "A RESPONSE
hility As their keeper his preference
becomes properly subject 10 public
scrutiny. lie IL warranted by no right
10 hold his brethren. whom he has been
elected TO serve. to an accountability
to his own peculiar views of their duty.
and Justly may enforce upon them only
those rules OF conduct which they them
selves have established The Obligation
OF conformity in ethical standards be-
comes entirely his and is defne strictly
by the constitutional and legal require
ments Of his position.
This restriction of the authority OF
public office in a representative govern
ment embodles n principle So obvious
and 50 generally understood that an ex-
preston of II IN one form or another has
been a commonplace Of the cart tail
oratory of the ward politician. No man
should he more familiar with II than
our cultured President. the learned au-
thor OF "a History of the American
People But does Mr.. Wilson as a
matter OF fact recognize clearly that the
Obligation Of his own service as pre-
scrihed by the Constitution begins and
ends with the American people, for the
reason that the obligation of their SER
vice as contemplated In that sacred in
strumcnt has precisely the same lmitt-
ton
In view Of the evidence, apparently
not. With each recurrence of a hc!,iger-
ent outrage committed upon American
citizens in Mexico Or on the hiEh seas,
Uc are Informed hat our national duty
Is the service Of humanity. With zach
rev indication at home or abroad that
the governmental service I'm protection
~ American rights and lives and prop
erty has never before been so made
quate. we are reminded again OF that
duty. From the outbreak OF the war.
" ~ WV 80 - = shhAA 'fFN - AaN
country should have been called upon
IN preparation for the defence OF our
own y, ople. each new issue of critical
danger directing attention tn the neg
l',t % our defensive service has re-
CURED a feitcrltion OF our national
duty OF humanitarian service. In
Presidential message and Informal
speech, in official utterance and per.
sonal int!mation. that duty has been
insisted upon. And with each new
preachment ~ this Executive imposition
We nave been made more surely aware
Of the Incredible but seemingly genuine
fact that In this most pcrilous time FOR
our defenceless country the mind and
conscience of our President are more
-ravely concerned with the task OF en-
forcing upon the American people an
n~nwarranted service OF self-sacriiCe
thar Of absorbing himself in the service
of the American people.
What other conclusion may We draw
from the record OF event ana the
rhetoric OF the President Ore must
believe that NJ Wilson is morally a
futurist, that tho soul ~ his Official
helng is lost and wandering almleSsly
I'm he remote Utopia Of Visionary as
rirations not FOR centuries perhaps TO
h' ullized. The training of mll'cnu!a!
idealiSm has carried him hopclcsslv We
youd the realities of imminent fact And
TN this complete maladaptatlon Of the
President and his party 10 the practical
requirements OF safe and vigorous gov
eminent We may discern a direct and
natural result ~ the Abandonment NJ
the Democracy two decades ago 10 the
least intelligent. the most fanatical. the
least worthy. tho most grotespue pol'ti-
cal leadership known TO history. TO fable
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