The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-01-25
A SOCIALISM OF
NATIONALITIES?

For at least a thousand years t,
come a certain fact of yesterday vii
stand among the double starred curl
osities of history. 1t is the fact tina
the same President of the Unitet
States who through administrative in
efficiency failed for nearly four year.
to secure peace just across our owl
border in Mexico mounted rostrun
where he had no business to be t.
lecture the whole world on the term.
upon which peace in Europe shoult
be made and on the manner in which
peace in Europe and elsewhere SHOULD
thereafter be maintained.
The interviewer in Mexico in the
name of humanity and civilization has
accomplished absolutely nothing there
after the four years of muddled
thought and confusion Of motive and
unexampled incompetency of practical
effort.
And yet in his Mexican enterprise
Mr.. Wilson had every advantage that
circumstances could give. He was
dealing with our next neighbor repub-
lie. Fellow citizens of his who didn't
care a continental for the transcen-
dentalism of his lofty but vague pro-
testations Of Service to Humanity did
care greatly for the dignity and honor
Of the American flag and for the
safety of American life and the Sc
curity of American property on Mex
lean soil. They were behind him to
a man at the beginning and would
have been behind him to man in all
that he did if he had done anything
at all worth doing or had even known
what it was that he wanted to do.
Furthermore, he was backed by all
the force of the Monroe Doctrine and
by its recognition to the full extent
by the European Powers commercially
and otherwise interested like ourselves
in Mexican affairs. They respected
the Monroe Doctrine, they kept their
hands off Mexico, they left the job
to President Wilson, and in common
with the people of this country they
perused chapter after chapter of the
story of the failure of his
policy.
And now it is the same American
Executive that failed before the eyes
Of Europe and Asia to justify the
Monroe Doctrine in its application to
Mexico who undertakes to lay down
an extended version of the Monroe
Doctrine for all the world and to in
struct European victors and European
in their duty TO humanity,
and TO define the terms of peace IN
Europe which would be acceptable to
him personally. We say personally,
for although Mr.. Wilson spoke in the
Senate chamber yesterday and osten-
sibly addressed the Senate, he was
speaking nothing more than the opin-
ions Of an individual; for it happens
that his representative capacity is
strictly limited by written law, al
though he forever seems 10 be forget
ting that important fact.
What Mr.. Wilson is sworn to do IS
prescribed by the Constitution. He IS
sworn to execute faithfully the Office
OF President of the United States, and
10 the best Of his ability to preserve,
protect and defend the Constitution Of
the United States. He is not sworn
to execute faithfully the Office Of
President Of Humanity. There Isl
nothing in his official duties which re-
ouires him to demand the establish
mont Of "a free and united Poland; =
or to lay down TO Europe the principle
that all interior European nations,
like Switzerland, for example, or the
republic of Andorra, shall be accord
ell free outlets to the seas"
More important still, there is moth
Iay in Mr. Wilson's oath which re-
guires him land nothing in his power
v hich enables him) to promise with
for the Government and the