New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-27
PRESIDENT WILSON'S AIM
PIE. That Forgotten and His Proposals be
Fairly Despite Cannon Smoke and Fog OF Words

fhou. and the Governments and citizens OF
friendly neutral nations 10 80 on thinking 10
torms of war Germany, on tho contrary
thinks now In terms Of peace. For her' az
snrIy peace Ia a qualified victory FOR the
sake Of such a peace Germany IL wiling 70
sacrifice ali that she has gained IN the "es'
Of Europe. She welcomes anything, sven
slap In the face from our President, II u
looks toward peace.
Much is made In The Tribune's editorial OF
to-day Of the abandonment Of the Monroe
Doctrine. II the League to Enforce feacs
idea should fall through, while peace ul0
come as a result Of Presidential acceieratioh'
liz is true that we might prove to have aoah'
doned the Monroe Doctrine. But II the
Presidents plan Is to be really carried out
there Is no abandonment Of anything. lou
write that the United States must also
abandon those Of its purely nationaiistc
policies which are likely to be cause OF ais
mute with other nations" What other
nations? We have not demanded anything
Of Europe except hands of America! Inc
League TO Enforce Peace plan would prevent
or tend TO prevent, aggression on the par'
Of any nation against any nation. ms IN
cludes America.
In opposing the Presidents peace plans II
seems to me there are two powerful arsu-
ments: % This war must continue I'LL ffuS-
sia has been taught real lesson ana the un-
proftableness of war has been borne in upon
the Prussian type of Intelligence; % there
are great practical difficulties in establishing
and executing the League to Enforce Peace'
or whatever we call the word-peace ma
chinery, which all the world has need o. 10
cone with the horrifc war machinery WIN
which our modern political and industtiai
evolution has cursed us. IL seems TO me thaI
the argument of Mr.. Wilson's opponents
,gould be more effective if it addressed ltseii
10 these points and to their natural develop
ments. Certainly the gravest diincuI'y III
carrying out his programme VIII De lounu'
not within the theory itself, but IN the
nroviucialism of the American mind. Out
Endorsement of such league as is talked Oh
is less than valueless unless we stand reauy
to pay the price Of Inconvenience, ana per-
hans even personal service, in the event OIL
our country having to make that indorse-
ment good. oh, there are plenty OF argu-
ments against any radical step IN TINS worlu'
but most Of the Presidents critics, begin
ming by distorting what he has actually sald'
end by wilfully reading into 1t motives Whlch
we may be mistaken about; all this only
creates sympathy for the President LUIS
issue is not principally partisan, or ques-
ton of the Presidents private fortunes. IL
is world question, and question OF the
Mace of the United States in that world. AS
such it ought to be settled without much
respect to our private admiration for the
President or TO our temperamental repug
nance. How childish seem the purely per
sonal reactions of the press or OF individuals
to the statesmen and policies of Civil War
t:mesl We realize to-day that the vital mat
ter then was the emergence Of right conciu
sions, not the personality Of the leaders or
what fussy-minded people thought about
those leaders. How petty some criticisms OF
Mr.. Wilson's too orotund and oracular style!
II corresponds to no requirement Of our PEG
ple or their situation. 1t merely helps TO
Justify Ito journalists) one imagined func'
ton of professional journalism.
Give us Breadth of Vision, God OF Bat
tIesl And Thou, Lord of Peace, give US to
tread on the solid earth of Reality even
while we peer through clouds OF cannon
smoke and fog of words! b. d.
Washington, D. c., Jan. %, 1917.