The sun., 1916-12-23
PREDICTS FAILURE
OF WILSON'S PLEA
London "Times" Believes the
Entente Will Not Agree
to a Farley.
NO DALLIANCE By ALLIES
President Declared to Have
Failed TO Gauge Best Amer
lean Opinion.

Special totIe Dsspafch' 10 TIE suS from the
London Times.
LONDON. Dec. 22.-Ths Ttmes COM
ments cditorialiy upon President Will
son's peace note as follows:
President Wilson has sent a lengthy
note to all the %beiligerent Powers, In
which he practically invites them TO
state their peace terms We do not for
4 moment question his statement that
the suggestion IL made in the most
friendly spirit but We cannot escape
some misGivinss as to whether his
aspiration hat this spirit may be
understood by all concerned will b
everywhere fulfilled.
Our sympathetic understanding in
this country Of certain manifestations Of
the American idealist Is not universally
shared. President Wilson himself ad-
mits that he finds the appearance OF
hts suggestion Immediately after the
German overtures somewhat embarrass-
ing, He sees that IL 10 open to mis-
construction. and we fear II may be mis-
construed by more than one Of our
allies.
Dimcult Compliance.
1T will be hard for those who are not
SO familiar as We with the workings OF
particular types Of the American mind
to comply with his request that his
invitation should be considered as IL It
had been made In other circumstances.'
w ave no doubt whatever OF the
substance Of the reception which this
will hav at the hands OF
every one Of the allied nations and gov
ernments. They will all unquestionabiy
treat IL as President Lincoln and Sec
rotary Seward. supported by the judy
ment and sentiment OF the American
democracy. treated all suggestions OF
European interference In the civil war.
The Central Powers. the B~ulxariaus
and Turks will presumably welcome II.
as It recommends the very course Of ac-
ton to which they ave arrosantly sum-
moned the Entente Powers.
The Prime Ministers Of England,
France, Italy and Russia have declared
IN the p%lainest and most vigorous terms
their Independent conclusions that this
course was entirely inadmissible. They
stated their reasons. Those reasons
have been approved by the overwhelm-
ing majority Of the Legislatures to
which they were addressed and by their
countrymen generally. Any variation Of
this attitude In difference TO President
Wilson'S views Is. It need hardly be said.
altogether unthinkable.
surprised by the Action.
surprise is the feeling which we
should imagine will predominate In this
country's feelings aused by President
Wilson'S step-surprise which will be in
tensified by the contrast between the
state Of mind reflected in the note and
the chorus Of approba ton with which
the chief organs Of American opinion
were ha'ling Lloyd Georges rejection Of
the German peace proposal only yester-
day. We cannot hut suggest that In thus
supporting the German scheme President
Wilson may hav failed to gauge the
trend OF the best American opinion.
I'VE should have supposed that by
this time the irreconcilable confic, he.
tween the objects OF the Allies and the
objects OF the Central Powers vas plain
to all. Our aims have never changed
from the day when Germany began
hacking her way through neutral Bel.
GUM until this hour. Premier Asquith
stated them. Viscount Grey stated them.
tslDNu oWoIks SlnNNu tINUh ulkNN
Bonar Law referred to them again. He
said that II he saw the least prospects
Of attaining them he would eagerly vel.
come peace and so would the whole ma
ton and the whole empire.
I'VE share In full President Wilson's
humanitarian feelings; We are even
lighting for them. but while we are
fighting for peace We mean II to he a
just and abiding peace. We see no hope
Of ynch a peace, until Prussian mili,ar-
ism has been laid low upon the feid OF
battle. We cannot. after our experl-
ence. share President Wilson'S fond trust
In professions Of humanity. Germans,
our enemy. the enemy Of humanity, are
posing as the victorious aggressors In
the very document in which they condc-
scendingly summon the Allies to lust
such a conference as President Wilson
desires.
I'VE have to demonstrate to them that
frightfulness In a biunder AZ well as a
crime, and to do that we must exact full
reparation for that crime. The mora
forces OF the world AS Bonar Law said.
have to be shown In action To parley
with the wrong while II %srrogantly
claims TO be victorious would be false
70 the right. would acknowledge the
definite triumph OF militia rism and would
confess the failure Of democracy. For
these reasons mongst other. We cannot
LISTEN to President Wilson's pleading
We trust 1t will he treated by all the
Allies with the civility which il deserves
but we are confident jt will stay the
hand OF mona Of them from striking
down militia rism.'
MS enc" In Headlines.
The evening papers, which do no
print editorials, came out with big head
lines which expressed their views o.
President Wilson's step. The Epentn,
NeUs. which Is the afternoon edition Of
the Daily Mail. heads a reprint of tn,
comment OF the morning papers with tn,
one word NO" in large black type ant
under 1t "our Answer TO President VII
son" and again mo. No, No, That Il
the Answer Great Britain Gives To-da,
Without a Moments Hesitation to thu
Surprising Note From President Wilson.
The Pail Nal Gazette sharply criti
c'ses the President,
ITO revive a term once familiar II
American politics." It says. "he as
sumes that attitude ~ a know nothing.
He does not realize that he makes tn,
blood OF every honorable man In Eu"op,
boil when he processes inability I,
distinguish between the objects and PFC
fessions OF the two sides.
The President IN rs unlucky as II,
is high minded, His zeal for humanit,
has evoked "A step that will crrate IN,
biiterest resentment among all who nr,
lighting. wording and dying for the YER,
principles he has at heart. And ",
may 60 further and say that only In
tclligent self-iestraint by the allied pres
and allied nations can rrevent Il from
creating a serious breach Of sympath!