Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-15
An English Vie,U of Wilson

constantly palmer, that e have found in her
not only the reinforcement of power but the
even more precious reinforcement of states
manship. More important even than help
In winning the war is the true and steady
ann Tor the reaplng Of its fruits For this
service we have to thank above all other
living men the President of the United
states and thus II is that in all the Allied
countries, and above all in our own people
have come to see In him their natural leader,
the man who represents their best thought
and true purpose. In admitting this, in
acciaiming 1t, no reflection is implied on the
statesmen of any other country. This achieve
rnent Is not merely personal one. Mr.. Will
son has never posed as n heaven-sent in
s'ructor' ana though he speaks In the tones
OF authority to his people, he has always
felt and declared himself to be their spokes-
man and interpreter. In the latest, which
Is also the greatest and most significant. of
his addresses. he expressly ascrIbes to himself
this function He claims no vast superiority
OF insight or of knowledge. He declares
what he holds to be the plain and Inevitable
lesson OF the war He comes forward as
giving voice and conference TO the feeling and
the desire OF the plain man. That is to put
the case perhaps too modestly yet there is
truth In It, The lessons of the war are in
deed plain enough for him who runs to read.
Yet to seize and interpret them In their full
reach and scope and to proclaim them in
words Of equal simplicity and power ia not
given to every man. 1t has been given to
no man as to the American President and
that is why he has become and will un
dDuhfpdlv n In fha oh Lac
the world-war and the destined architect of
peace.
TT HAS been said of the American people
by one Of the most discerning in the ranks
OF their enemies that no error can be greater
than to regard the American people as sunk
In materialism and moved only by prospect
OF gain. They are. said Herr Ballin. the
most idealistic people in the world and he
vainly warned his Government of the deadly
peril 1t ran In provoking them by the pratical
U-boat war. Everything that has happened
since has proved the truth of his warning
The American Constitution sets out with a
declaration of the rights of man., Just as the
political philosophy of France springs from
the teaching of Rousseau and the motto of
the Revolution. These things are not incl
dental; they are among the molding forces
| of the life Of peoples. and we are still reap
ing the fruits of eighteenth century ration
alism. 1t Is to the great tradition of Jeffer-
son and washington that President Wilson
| has appealed. and 1t is this to which the
American people will respond with his own
| deep and restrained moral enthusiasm IL
will carry him through; 1t will carry the
| world through
| TT is very clear-cut doctrine which the
| i President sets forth. and in It we may
| find the sure clue alike to his past action and
to his future policy: 1t is doctrine based
| unfiinchingIy on principle. The priaciple is
quite simple 1t Is that Of human rights and
human equality, the negation Of the supre.
macy OF force. the assertion Of the supremacy
OF justice. These are not mere phrases.
There is nothing In this to terrify the Ger
| man people, though 1t may well shame them
and I'LL their rulers with wholesome dread
| II demands two things-unfinching Justice,
unfiinching equality. Or. to put the matter
| In a more definite form, 1t insists that the
| settlement shall be not a matter of bargain
but the application of a principle; that II
shall have primarily and insistently in view
| the welfare OF each individual people,
whether small or great; that there shall be
| no favorites" no combination of certain
| Powers seeking advantage over other Powers
| no sparing Of some and advantaging OF
| others. but the enforcement of a general rule
Of Justice to ALL including our enemies. with
mo discrimination between those to whom
| we wish to be Just and those to whom we
| do not wish TO be JUST; no economic boy
| colt, therefore, except as a penalty for the
| infraction of the common law. and a League
| DeaCe
agreement to enforce that law. In the Pres
ident's view no peace Is worth having none is
worthy Of the name, which does not postulate
whole world at peace and with an effective
| machinery established as q condition of
peace for maintaining and enforcing II.
TyHERE is no question here of compromise
i The President again and again rejects
alike the word and the thing. And here per-
| haps we have the clue to his recent summar ~
| rataafion NJ ha Aust riau "a,
discussion. He refuses discussion on any
thing except the application of the principles
he lays down as just and necessary for all
He refuses also to make peace with Germany
on any basis whatever of concrete terms y
because, as he bluntly says, he cannot trIs,
her to keep them. Germany. like other
countries, is to be treated fairly, and is to
have after the war, as before 1t, her equal
share in the opportunities of trade and OF
civilized intercourse. but he denounces in
scathing terms the authors of the iniqutous
Brest- -Litovsk and Bucharest agreements as
men without honor and who do not In.
tend Justice" who "observe no covenants'
and accept no principle but force and their
own interest" who do not think the same
thoughts or speak the same language" as the
rest OF the civilized world, who are out
laws TO II. No peace. he therefore holds is
possible with them except one whose terms
can, II needful. be enforced. as the peace Itself
must be enforced, by the power and the con-
science OF the other nations. The address
| closes with challenge. II believe" sa vs
President Wilson. that the leaders of The
Governments with which are associated
will speak. as they have occasion, as plainly
as I have tried to speak" and he adds a
hope that II they dissent they will feel
| free" to say no. II none repudiate or seek Ia
qualify the principles which the President
| has laid down for the world peace to which
at last we are drawing near, these must be
taken as expressing the policy of US an
Manchester tE,ngland) Guardian.
|