Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-27
THE SPOKESMAN OF THE
WORLDS CONSCIENCE
President Wilson Is Backed in That Capacity
by United American Opinion, in Spite
of Disputes About Details

of Disputes About Details
EUROPE is being fed with American
- criticism of the President and his
peace plans, according to the dispatches
from Clinton w. Gilbert, staff CORE
spondent of this newspaper with the
peace delegation in Paris and no favor
able American comment is cabled, or at
least published, abroad
Those European statesmen who for
reasons of their own wish to make it
difficult for Mr.. Wilson to carry his
points are making the most of the situa-
ton thus created, if they have not delib-
erately created it themselves. 1t is i'm
portant that the people of Europe to
whom Mr., Wilson is appealing over the
heads of certain of their statesmen
should know that America stands be-
hind Mr.. Wilson to the last man on the
general principles which he has laid
down. We went into the war to assist
in establishing justice and fair play for
ourselves and for the rest of the world.
We know that if nothing is done to guar
antee these things to the rest of the
world we shall suffer in the long run.
What difference of opinion there is
over here arises out of questions of de-
tail. Senator Lodge and Senator Knox
are not opposing the establishment of
just peace. They are discussing the order
in which certain matters shall be consid
cred and the emphasis which shall be
given to this point or that in framing
the peace treaty. Their views should be
enightening to the President and to
Lloyd George, to Clemenceau and Or
lando; bit no one should make the mis-.
take of assuming that they are evidence
of divided opinion here on the great
issues at stake. Nor should any one SO
far misread the significance of the
November election here as to assume
that it was a rebuke and a rejection of
the President as the representative of
the nation in foreign affairs, although
Mr.. Wilson himself, by great strateg-
cal blunder, opened the door for mis-
Interpretation of the election when he
appealed for a Democratic Congress as
a personal Endorsement for its effect on
European opinion.
The congressional election was carried
against the President primarily on do
mestic issues SO far as war issues were
involved the nation voted for a more
vigorous prosecution of tae fighting
against Prussianism. This is what every
Republican paper of standing said after
the election. And it is the truth.
1t may be a little embarrassing for
Mr.. Wilson to admit that he msjudged
the temper of the nation in his pre-
election appeal and to insist now that the
nation, after all, indorsed with added
emphasis those things which he has gone
to Europe to secure for US and for all
men, but it may be necessary for him to
do it in the interests of the great cause
to which he has dedicated his abilities
And if the news associations, or the spe-
cial correspondents of the European
newspapers interested in strengthening
the hands of the European statesmen, do
not send to London and Paris the Ameri-
can comment indicating general approval
Of the main purposes Of the President,
then the State Department should see to
it that the Foreign Offices abroad get
that comment direct from Washington.
In spite of the fact that he is pleading
for simple justice, the ability of Mr..
Wilson to win his points will depend in
large measure on his ability to impress
those with whom he deals in his repre-
sentative character as spokesman of a
hundred million justice-loving freemen.
Everything that Mr.. Wilson has said
on the other side indicates that he appre-
ciates the difficulties Of his position. He
is the spokesman of the aspirations of
| America and he is testing out the senti-
ment of the people of France to discover
whether the ideals which he has held up
are their ideals-ideals which their
| statesmen must respect. Now that he is
in England for few days he is likely to
| pursue the same wise course in the hope
| that he can muster back of him that
| irresistible power of public sentiment
which politicians disregard at their
peril. He has set out to convince the
statesmen that the people must have
their way at the Peace Conference and
his hands should be upheld by every be-
lever in democracy throughout the
world. 1t is unfortunate that Senators
Lodge, Knox and others here who are
criticizing the details of his program are
willy nilly providing ammunition fol-
those reactionary European statesmen
who wish the Versailles conference tc
resemble the notorious Vienna congress
as closely as possible.
Time, however, is working with Mr.
Wilson. The impression may prevail fol-
few days or for few weeks that ther,