New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-23
AT His Worst

believed that Mr.. Wilson's intentions were
good, but that he was wholly mistaken as
to the acceptability TO the Entente Allies
of his offer to perform the functions OF
peace intermediary.
That turned out to be the case. We had
hoped, accordingly, that the President
would abandon activities which could lead
nowhere and could only result in injuring
the prestige and interests Of the United
States.
The President seems, however, to have
taken in bad part the hint from the Allied
capitals that he should withhold his in
tervention until more appropriate season.
Yesterday he renewed his efforts to COM
NIT the United States to an agitation Tor
peace at any cost-on the basis of a victory
for neither combatsnt. He also attempted
TO convey the impression that the United
States would insist on certain details
which it considered essential TO any stable
peace agreement.
In our opinion the mixing in ad-
vance into the details Of the coming peace
compact in Europe is highly imprudent.
1t puts the United States in a false
position and cannot but excite the resent
ment Of the European belligerents, from
whose quarrel President Wilson, so long
as it suited him to do so, insisted that we
must stand rigidly aloof.
Yesterdays address abandons the aloof-
ness notion with vengeance. 1t saddles
this country with a series Of declarations
regarding the war and regarding peace
terms which, in our judgment, do not re-
fleet the opinion of the nation. They are
simply improvisations dashed of by the
President. We deplore both the tone and
substance Of the speech, which represents
Mr.. Wilson at his worst. II is an exceed
ingly undiplomatic utterance. It's calm
refusal TO acknowledge any moral dis
tinction between the purposes Of the two
belligerent groups will startle most Amer
leans. 1t would make our relations with
the Entente nations even more unfriendly
than they are to-day were their govern
ments any longer capable Of attaching to
Mr.. Wilson's words the weight that ought
to attach 10 the public utterances Of the
head of the most powerful Of the neutral
nations.
President Wilson has gone from bad to
worse. A month ago he addressed a note
to the European belligerents asking them
to announce the conditions on which they
would be willing TO end the war.
49, IA
fortunately been dispatched on the heels
Of Germany's invitation to the Entente
powers to enter a general peace confer
ence. II was open to criticism as giving
moral support to Germany's contention
that the time was ripe for peace. Fo1
that reason it gave serious offence to the
Entente powers. who knew that no peace
could be made on the basis of the existing
military situation which would not be to
their own disadvantage and greatly to the
advantage of Germany.
\ Both European combinations replied to
President Wilson's suggestion. The
Central powers declined to make public the
terms on which they were willing 70 end
the war. Their direct offer to the Entente
10 discuss terms in a secret conclave having
been refused, they realized that they had
no longer anything TO gain by disclosing
which of their territorial conquests they
we're willing to give up and which they In
tended 10 retain as elements IN new
Central European empire
The Entente powers, on the other hand
were not estopped from making plain and
definite answer They risked nothing in
telling the world through President vii
son what objects they had In view in con-
tinuinr the war and what weighty reasons
they had for not wishing to accept at this
time an offer Of mediation. They had not
attained the purposes for which they were
fighting. But believing their cause to be
lust and their fight TO be fight for the
fundamentals Of humanity and civilization,
their self-respect, their sense of honor and
their ideals of national duty compelled
them 10 employ TO the full their superior
military resources something they have
not done as yeti before confessing failure
and conserving to draw based on ex-
haustion.
The note Of the Entente powers made it
clear that President Wilson's suggestion of
mediation was in their opinion wrongly
timed 1t politely but firmly declined TO
accept his services in the role of peace
Intermediary. 1t looked as if the curtain
had been definitely rung down on Mr..
Wilson's well-intentioned but misjudged
peace efforts.
But Mr.. Wilson did not want 20 have
IKE curtain rung down. The Entente
note gave him an opportunity to disap-
pear gracefully into the wings with a