Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-12-03

THE PRESIDENTS PARAMOUNT DUTY

Aside from stating that he believed 1t his paramount duty to IT.
tend the peace conference at Versailles, President Wilson ianeo TO
take the nation into his confidence regarding his trip abroad S 1t was
expected he would do in his address to congress. The President goes
~ FuroDe 70 represent America and to speak for the American peo
nile VET aside from the very general outlines of his principles IS set
forth in the now famous fourteen points the American people DO
not know what the President considers the will and desires oil ne po
pie of the United States. He has formulated his plans and ideas IN
secluson. He has consulted no one, neither has he taken anyone as
far o known. into his confidence. The nation, apparently, is ex
pected to place everything in the hands of the President and ask no
ouestions. leaving it all to him to do as he in his wisdom deems best
This is a pretty big thing to ask of a great nation like the United
States. The President insists that be is the servant of the people, yet
he is the sort of a servant who insists upon having his own way, doing
as he thinks best for the welfare of those whom he would serve and
will tolerate no interference.
But the country has come to have the utmost. faith in President
Wilson. Being a student of history he has a thorough knowledge OF
the principles on which this nation was established and possess a COM
plete understanding of The aims and objects of the country s founders
That he is imbued with the desire to carry out these principles even
to the extent o; expanding them so IS to embrace the entire world
there is no doubt; as the greatest exponent of democracy he is going
to Europe to spread the doctrine so as to reach the oppressed peoples
of the world.
As laudable as this ambition is, however, we cannot agree that the
affairs of state at home r entirely secondary. After all, Mr.. Wilson
is President of the United States and to him the people rightfuly
look for leadership and guidance in handling their domestic AFFAIRS
Never, it is safe to say, were the affairs of the nation more in need of
a guiding hand, one capable through study and experience, than at
the present time. The interests of the nation have never been % vast
the people so numerous and the territory affected so broad a at the
present time 20 that it will require the services of a super man, al
most, to bring affairs back to normal and to accomplish the read
justment without chaos and depression.
Yet, when it comes to these vital domestic affairs, the President
frankly states that he has no suggestions to offer. Apparently he is
SO engrossed with the worldwide affairs that he has no time to con-
slider the affairs of the people whom he is directly to serve, excepting
as the affairs at the peace conference affect them.
Perhaps it is asking too much to expect one man to carry the bur-
den of the Mhole world and to concentrate on the affairs of one ma
ton at the same time, yet as the President was elected to serve the ma
ton and not the whole world one would think that the interests of the
nation would come first.
However, we are living in unprecedented times. We are too close
to the events that are happening to be able to size them up correctly.
When the history of this period is written the insignifcance of our own
national affairs when compared with the great international adjust
ment my be realized. And the effect of the worldwide affairs on the
people of this nation will be seen to be even more important than the
adjustment of our own national affairs, so that it will be found that
the President is fully justified in setting aside for the time being pure
ly national affairs for the consideration of the much larger problems
that confront the whole world, and upon the rightful settlement of
which the fate of this as well as every other nation rests.
But trusting President Wilson as the nation does, it would seem
that the people should have some idea of what the President intends
to say and do in their name when he reaches the council table. Euro
pean capitals r. accustomed to having a king or potentate
from some nation appear at such gatherings and speak for my peo-
pie" and settle great affairs of state out of his own mind and have
them accepted as the will of the nation without any consultation what
ever with the people or representatives of the people of that nation,
but Europe must not get such an impression of America. President
Wilson alone cannot bind this nation. The fact that the people know
little or nothing of what he intends to do when he reaches the peace
table makes it all the more apparent that he is speaking for himself
and setting forth his own ideas, and that all of those ideas are liable
to be repudiated by the American democracy. We dont want Eu-
rope to get the impression that, after all, democracy is no different
from any autocracy where one man goes forth to a peace conference
without even consulting the people whom he is supposed to represent
and enters into agreements and makes treaties according to his own
ideas and opinions the same to be accepted by the nation he repre-
sents without question. That is not democracy. Mr.. Wilson knows
this, but he goes forth under exactly those conditions. The only hope
is the faith that the people have in him to dc the right thing, knowing
as he does the true principles of democracy and the principles upon
which this nation was founded.
President Wilson is assuming that he knows what the American
people want without consulting them. There is reason to believe that
he does. Although his address to congress is disappointing in that he
did not tell more of his intentions, we feel confident that the world
will be benefited by his personal counsel and advice.