The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-12-26

also Is an overwhelming socialist con-
sltueacy; and the Belgian government
was dominated by the socialist five
Years ago and the government may be
again socialistic when it begins to func-
ton. TO this great European socialist
constituency-which is not bolshevist-]
lyet.}-the president is appealing. He
expects that constituency to be made
quateiy represented at the conference.
And he has not colored the American
delegation with a distinctly socialist
tint. Mr.. Lansing, Mr.. Houston, MIR.
White n Colonel House are anything
but reds. They are far from the shell
pink socialists. who infest New York.
and there is no hope that any Of orr
American delegation in a preliminary
rough and tumbl could hold their
with Lloyd George, and Clemenceau.
Either the British or the French ma
would outtalk any or all of u peace
delegates in a gala feast. Nor will the
president sit in with the delegates.
Certainly no n expects him to debate
the merits of his case with the strong
debaters of Europe. President Wilson
never debated. He doesn't even assert
forensically, but rather ventures to
suggest" n "by leave to offer" and
may -l-LOl-nCDe OF sees the DOSS1-9
bility' of ukase No. Z being accepted;
and then having tossed it out of the
cosmos returns to the cloister! He has
.|legislated thus through congress-. He
expects to function thus at the peace
congress. He will make definite and
certain his ID points under the three
headings above suggested. Then the
subsequent proceedings will Interest
him no more" He will ave the pres
tige Of the triumphant procession
across the earth, behind his program;
he will have advertised it to the Euro
pean masses, who according to the
Wilson theory accept the program
strongly; he will place the United
States officially behind his program
without reserve or qualification-even
though it is sweetly elucidated in the
subjunctive mood-and then having
spoken upon such formal occasions as
seem wise, Mr.. Wilson will fade out
like a movie film.
What Viii Be Results?
And the Program will be before
Europe with on n to defend it who
can talk for sour apples. And hence no
one to modify it.
If it is adopted it will be the Wilson
programmed the House plan, the Lam
sing proposal or the White resolution.
And II 1t is rejected-it will still be the
Wilson plan. And then what?
Mr. Wilson has just one bag of tricks.
1t is putting the fear of God into his
adversaries. He made the republicans
vote for the Adamson law, crashing
their teeth as they voted! He made the
southern democrats take CONSUMPTION
and a strong n~ationalism, damning the
hand that fed it to them. There was
no debate; no explaining; no persua-
sion. just a mild ~subjunctive ukase
with a L. N. T.. bomb in it's disobedi-
ence: and the fear of bake socialism
turning bolshevist in allied lands is the
merry little hand grenade which the
president has coated With the chocolate
eclair of his gentle self deprecating
suggestions and has SO diffidently
passed into the situation in his well
known potential noe The allied lead
ers have known for a month what he
was bringing to Europe. Northcliff.
who has been welcoming the American
president while he abused LLOYD
George. may have suspected what is in
the presidents package. But now
Europe is beginning to realize it.
No one can predict what the result
will be. The president is running true
to form; he is treating the conference
as he has HANDLED congress for four
years. And it remains to be seen
whether the conference reacts to the
Wilson treatment as our American
congress reacted. But the spectacle
of the president coating his r,.uical de-
n:ocracy in the saccharine and soft
soap of his persuasive rhetoric and
thus while the fuse fizZes-disa ppear-
ing as gently and as innocently as the
Cheshire cat with revolutionary cream
on its whiskers. will be well worth
watching.
1t is not necessary to agree with this
program to report it fairly. And unless
all his friends are fooled or unless they
are fooling their friends, the foregoing
is a fairly accurate guess on the stu
alton thai is unfolding these days in
France.
Copyright, 1918, The Wheeler syndi.
cate.