The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1916-01-05
HOUSE WILL TELL
EUROPE OUR VIEWS
Goes IS Wilson's Voice to Pro-
mote Better Understanding.
NOT ON MISSION OF PEACE

Nor VIII He Reprimand Any Diplomats
or lntrude In Their Fields of Activity.
Foreign Leaders Acquainted With
Purpose of His Visit Eager to Meet
Him.
Colonel Edward Mandell House is of
for Europe for visit of six weeks or
TWO months in London. Paris and Rer-
lin. He goes as the representative of
President Wilson. and as such he will
visit both the American embassies in
those cities and the statesmen at the
head Of affairs in all three nations.
Many reports have been printed CON
corning the object of his trip. bur the
following facts are said TO be most an
thentic:
Colonel Houses mission has only one
purpose, and 1t Is not to sound the ma
lions on the subject Of peace, to inter
fere In whatever chickering's there NAV
be among American diplomats, to stir
up the Lusitania case or to do any of
the various things with which he has
been credited. His mission is the first
step In an attempt at better and clos
er understanding between the Euro
pean nations and this country, to the
end that misrepresentation OF our atti-
tude and views and actions may be
measurably avoided In the future,
That the need for such a mission or
TOR some other step to bring about such
an understanding was felt in Berlin as
Wen as In Washington was strikin9ly
shown In a Berlin dispatch of Dec.
20 In which these expressions ap-
peared:
that the obstacles In the way OF mutual
understanding between the two nations
are. IN the first place. those OF feeling.
and secondly. those OF facts. 80 II the |
herman government could speak directly
20 tns American government alone, out of |
tne nearing OF the rest Of the world, $50
mucn misconception on both sides could |
perhaps be avoided - : 1t would be hard /
to say at this moment whether Germany
misconceives the American mind more /
than the United States misconceiyee the /
German mind
Conditions Same In England.
What Is true Of Germany Is true In a |
different way OF the allied powers, I'm |
spite Of the fact that they have greater
freedom OF communication than the |
fortune OF war has given to Germany. |
Not from our ambassadors can they |
get the full American viewpoint, be- |
cause our ambassadors are themselves |
out or touch with what Is going on |
here and with the fluctuations and /
changes In American sentiment neces-
sarily produced by the constantly shift |
Ing events of the war
In the dispatch already quoted the |
author spoke of what could be done If /
there could be AN exchange between /
the at once high and special powers"
The mission of Colonel House comes as i
near being that as is possible. There
cannot very well be a conversation be-
tween the president and the kaiser. but
Colonel Houses visit to the German
foreign office win be the next thing
to It
1t is important, however. te keen
clear from the idea that Germany is
the special object OF Colonel Houses
journey. 1t is nothing of the kind. and
It would be well within bounds to saw
that his visit to London and to Paris Is
even more important In the presidents
mind than that to Berlin In the way Of
giving needed information and setting
the scenes right for future dealings
Not to Reprimand Diplomats.
All reports that Colonel House is 90
Ing abroad TO reprimand ambassadors
Tor alleged failings are made out of
whole cloth. The president does NOT
regard 1t as due TO any fault of these
diplomats that they are out of touch
with feeling In their own country. It
IS he holds, the natural and Inevitable
result Of their being away from the
place where that feeling exists and due
% no other cause Even months alb
sence makes man lose touch. and
these ambassadors have been away
from one TO two years.
colonel House himself has been heard
@ say that when he last went abroad
ne stayed four months and was aston
shed On his return TO find that he had
limself grown out of touch with Amer
can feeling. and this IS the reason why
ne has determined to make shorter
'tay this time He intends to stay only
'lA weeks and certainly VIII not stay
onger than two months II even he
loticed this difference in himself in So I
hort stay as four months the presi- I
lent believes that no ambassador IS
'lameworthy for showing the effects of
he SarnQ thing af+ar an abeor,o~ - =