The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-22
EUROPE BASES ITS
HOPES ON WILSON
Popular Imagination Is So
Stirred That Failure May
Mean Upheaval.
FEAR is NOW EXPRESSED
More Seepticism Exists in
Well INFORMED Circles
Abroad Than in U. s.

Copyright. 1915; all rights RESERVED
PARIS. Dec. 21.-It has become plain
to American observers that the people
Of Europe have been looking to Presi-
dent Wilson as the man who will de-
liver, them from the fear of future
wars that would hold all the world in
bondage unless the trainers Of the
peace treaty succeed in the tremen-
dous task before them.
The President. as author Of the
Fourteen Points, accepted as the basis
Of discussion, appears in the popular
imae ination here as invested with al
most supernatural powers regarding
the making over of the world: but 1t
cannot be overlooked that just so great
as the promise appears equally great
will be the failure to meet these hopes.
In well informed circles there is al
ready expressed a fear Of a social up
heayal Of serious, proportions IL these
people, tax burdened and war weary
find that after the discussions have
proceeded, for a while the promised
land OF permanent peace is not to be
theirs, and that after all the task OF
transmitting the Golden Rule into in
ternational law as the code of the new
society Of nations is not to be 40
complished.
It is a week since the President
landed in France, to receive a demon
stration that was not only a personal
tribute but, as the President himself
told the correspondents, was impress
slre because of the thought Of the
aspirations behind it.
Trend of the Comment.
Judging from some Of the comment
here the President, in the popular
imagination. comes here to preach a
sort of Sermon on the Mount and 10
explain the Fourteen Points, which
are the crux OF the peace conference
OF course he has not said this publicly
as yet nor is he likely to do it at all.
Europe must still wait, it would ap-
pear to some, for the concrete things
to emerge from the righteousness
which surrounds the details Of Wilson S
points.
Regarding the possibility of a new
order OF things eventuating from the
Presidents visit such as would meet
the hopes that have been raised among
the people OF Europe, there is, with
one week OF the Presidents visit to
Europe passed. still more scepticism
found in well informed circles than
was found even in America.
The President is on ground quite
new to him. His talks with Premier
Clemenceau have done little more than
TO give each the chance to size up the
other. The same thing must be done
with other leading figures of the peace
conference. This stage OF the intro
auctions is lice breaking entirely.
precluding the discussion Of anything
more than generalities, which really
means that the situation remains the
same. This is admitted by the mem
hers of the American commission to
be the net result of things up to date.
Feeling of Helplessness.
All this is significant in view of the
fact that some of the ablest British
and European statesmen confessed a
feeling of helplessness when it came
to working out the details of a plan
for league of nations of such a char
acter that it would afford real suaran-
tees OF world peace.
No drastic reduction of ornaments
is feasible, an experienced diplomat
told me, unless Wilson actually
brought a draft of the terms in his
pocket which covered every detail.
There would be great danger in the
discussion, he said. which would go on
indefinitely unless something is offered
as a starting point. In this view he is
upheld by many here, but it is ad-
mitted now that Wilson brought no
formula for the proposed league, and
SO apparently working basis must
still be supplied.
This has increased the fear en-
pressed in many quarters (although
not, ii must he said, by the American
delegation ITSELF that not much more
than an exchange of covenants like
the Bryan peace treaties can be ex-
peoted to eventuate from the Wilson
mission.