Evening star., 1917-01-23
BR|nSHLUKEWARM,
FRENCH SKEPT|CAL
Press of Two Countries Com
ment Freely on President
Wilson's Speech.
BUT ALL INSIST ON VICTORY

| President Wilson's speech in the Sem
ate yesterday on participation by the
United States in n league of peace
maintained its position as the chief
news event in the British evening
pages to the text and comment from
( The morning papers of London and
! Paris under headings such as "Presi-
( dent Wilson's Millennium" The Wash
! ington Sensation"
| The Westminster Gazette asks whether.
! II President Wilson had suffered what
1 the entente allies have, he would pa
/ tiently have listened to a third party
telling him he must be content to end
| the war without winning II and to forego
penalties against the enemy who had
sprung the war, torn up treaties ana
committed "unheard-of crimes against
! humanity and says: I'VE see no re-
! oily TO these retorts.
The Westminster Gazette refers Pres
F., ident Wilson for Germany's reply
| TO Emperor Williams letter to the
| King of Wurttemberg, in which the
| German emperor appealed to the Ger
! man people, saying: Hold on with
! blood and treasure until the arrogance
| of our enemies is shattered by our un-
! shakable will to victory" and the
new Wspaper adds: $50 far as we are con-
/ cerned. have no cognizance of any
cept peace without victory.
/ The ideals which President Wilson
| sets before us are so remote from Prus-
sian miltarism that their realization
| necessarily carries with 1t extinction
! of German tyranny. His general idea
| Of a world at peace. with reign. Of
/ law established and all nationalities.
great and small. living in freedom and
| security, is such that he can only get
| what he wants if we at the same time
| get what we want. We admit frankly
/ we do not know what he means by
| freedom of the seas, but in all other
| respects his aims are our aims and his
| ideals are our ideals. No man who is
| Interested in these aims and ideals can
| be dsinterested in the terms of peace.
| and no peace can secure them which
does not in our opinion carry with 1t
| the defeat of our enemy"
Praised by Daily News.
The Daily News describes President
Wilson's address as discerning. judicial
and statesmanlike presentation Of the Is
| sues confronting the civilized world to-
/ day in the unlimited future beyond the
conclusion of the present war" The
| newspaper thinks it should secure a
| cordial welcome in Great Britain. but
says nevertheless it contains phrases
| and suggestions which may legitimate
" be criticised.
The Times says: mis- project is
nothing less ambitious, less splendid
| than the establishment of a perpetual
| and universal reign of peace"
| The Times believes that Presiden Mt
| Wilson is the first man of mighty
! state who has proposed as scheme
| of practical politics what has been the
number of centuries" But it doubts
| whether. though 1t must appeal to the
| Imagination and hearts of all men.
! their judgment will give it unreserved
| approval.
The Morning Post describes President
| Wilson's speech as full of noble as
! pirations and amiable sentiments. and
/ declares that the belligerents feel the
desire for peace at least as much as do
neutrals.
| 1T is only when we get down to the
| question of how peace is to be attained
| and maintained" says the Post. that
/ we might find ourselves in disagree
| ment.'
| 1t proceeds to analyze at length the
| Presidents statements. meeting them
| with counter statements and appealing
to incidents of American history. In
! support of the latter. it says:
| According to President Wilson's
! logic, it would have been better for
! Lincoln to have met the southern lead
| ers upon the field. shaken hands anu
agreed upon peace. = When the
| war between Spain and the United
States was still unsettled. would Amer
| leans have been satisfied If the Euro
| pean powers had intervened and said
| You must make peace without victory,
| because any other peace would leave
| the sting of resentment and bitter
| memory
! In both of these cases Americans
| would have replied. and did reply. that
! the war must be fought to finish until
the vanquished accepted the victors
terms"
/ Invites President to End War.
With a series of such instances and
with questions as to how the President
would deal with specified hypothetical