Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-02
Peace Views of Men at War

| ons immensely-chiehy because they be-
| leved it is true.
Peace Views of Men at War
What is hard for people to understand
| who are not here is that no one here speaks
| Of peace except in direct connection with
| this war ! never realized it until [ saw
| II with my own eyes. Sweet plans of peace,
| structures of leagues, arrangements of
| geographical fronters-these things exist
only for neutrals. The only peace these
| people are talking about Is the peace they
1 can win. apd they hope TO win on the field.
! When the President made his speech they
respected his words they tried to figure
| out what he meant. But they did not be-
| lieve that the United States was ready to
| lift finger to establish even that beau
| tiful ideal on earth. The same mail that
brought your letter brought a newspaper
with Mr. Roosevelt's comment, that the
| speech was a grandioquent proposal made
to conceal ''pitifu gnominy and shirking"
The bitterest things about America these
last six months are the things which have
been said at home. Even today very few
people here believe that the President or
we, the people, care two straws about the
future of the world, If 1t comes to shedding
a drop of blood for it,
But I would give you very false idea
II l made you think that because the big
guys didn't come through with big words
OF encouragement, the Presidents speech
went nat. At the Labor Party Conference
In Manchester the name of Woodrow Will
son was received with more applause than
greeted any other man or any other name.
Perhaps you think the Labor Party is
pacifist; not one bit 1t Is not even for
peace-by negotiation, except for very
small minority. 1t is out and out for the
war; but 1t recognizes In our President the
apostle or the only true peace which British
labor would care to uphold. It is true
that the public men have spoken little in
reply to the President; he has the con-
ISOLATION of knowing that the most power.
full body representing the hearts of the
people has spoken loudly and long in his
favor.
And of course. apart from giving him
credit for sound and exalted ideas, a great
many or the more intelligent people here
have been impressed by what the speech
implies. They wanted to know whether II
really meant that the United States was
ready, or would make ready, to Join the
other liberal nations of the world to keen
the worlds peace. They could hardly be-
lieve that they read rightly. They weren't
bit put out by peace without victory"
although they thought 1t an unhannv
phrase. They were far too busy with The
suggestion that the United States would
see to Il that Poland remained autono-
nous ifsshe became a nation at the end
OF this war, and that the United Staes
was ready to interest herself in the Darda-
neles and the Trentino and Alsace-Lor-
raine. The men speak of now are those
VINO nave been up to their necks in the
foreign affairs of Britain for many years
they tell me that it has always seemed
hard to them that the United States should
keep aloof-it made il so much easier for
the vicious elements to get control of af
fairs. when the one nation which is known
TO be unselfish deliberately saws that q
has nothing to do with the rest of the world
The appearance of the United States in
the councils of Europe would be welcomed
by everything that is best In British life
If | am to judge by the comments heard II
was even suggested to me that the IJnited
States was playing a deep game. Namely.
to let two great groups grow up in Eurone
and then to stand with a club Just outside
and say. we will fight against the group
that starts anything" And no one re-
sented that, although that has been the
position Of England for century and she
hates to give it up.
Wilson's Ideas Not New
What you and really wanted was the
support Of the liberal thinkers of Britain.
and we got It in a rather cool way. The
real reason you can find in the note sent
by Mr.. Balfour to the President-I think IL
appeared about two days before or after the
Presidents address. These liberal thinkers
are precisely the ones who have been
working over here explaining to Britain
how fine and noble a work she can do
when peace comes by insisting on a Monroe
Doctrine for Europe (although they do not
use the phrase). They accept nearly every
word Wilson said, but they can point to a
thousand pamphlets and speeches and mag
azine articles. in which they said the same
things, one or two years earlier They
never assembled their ideals into body of
doctrine, as the President did. But Won
freedom of the world---the liberal mind of
was with him before he knew It, That. at
dent as they did. They count him the
preacher of new ideals they never heard Of
II you ask me my own opinion should
say that there are things expressed and i'm
Piled In the Presidents speech which are
not fully Understood or appreciated over
here. But you do not want my opinion. You
want TO know why things are as they are
on this side. ! can only add that every one
here Is living under such an intense stress
that there IL little time to apportion praise
and blame for what seems. after all, purely
theoretical speculation as to the future Tell
than that the United States has a sub
marine detector and IL going to put Il on
armed merchant ships, and you have them
1ntereofed but until you tell thsm that tn
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