New-York tribune., 1918-11-04
tion that the fourteen points were

Wnolly aCCepVaDie
But the case was too serious to go by
default. Expressions of dissent are now
taking place, as they must, no matter
what risk Is involved.
To those who have believed that the
fourteen points were embraced in Eng
land as if written upon two sacred tab
let's we submit the following editorial
from The London Globe, cabled to us by
our London correspondent Saturday
night:
at Is surely very serious thing, even
among more exciting events nearer home,
that many millions Of Americans should
be going to the polls with the misconcep
tion that Americas European 'Allics'-if
this offending term is pcrmissible---ar
definitely and irrevocably committed to
accept President Wilson's fourteen points.
at has apparently been represented as
our duty to strengthen the details of his
policy, which has been declared tho same
as those of Great Britain, France and
Italy We do not hhow how the delusion
has arisen. There may be inspired or
semi-official propaganda behind the backs
of the British people of which they are
ignorant and innocent.
"When pressed for an explanation
Americans refer to some stray sentence
or some extempore effort Lloyd
George during his visit to American
troops in France, of which reports vary.
In any case we feel sure the British
Prime Minister never contemplated COM
authority to do SO. as among the four
teen points is the freedom Of the seas
"This phrase is understood by its ad-
vocates as signifying that the British En-
pire, which owes its existence to the sea
and which has just saved the liberties of
the world by its sea power is to renounce
its birthright and surrender the one eff
fective weapon at the very moment when
all British people, and many people who
are not British, unite in acknowledging
that without such sea power we and they
would have been doomed in 1914
Germany must have won the war had
the freedom of -the-seas school, which en-
braced conspicuous members of the Pots
dam party, carried the day the time they
tried to force peace upon US by the ghast-
ly and grotesque Declaration Of London
To-day, apart from handful of cranks
and apostles, this heresy in this country
has been reduced to total silence. If we
hold a general election no candidate will
be returned on this platform.
'It is unfortunate that any section Of
the American electorate should imagine
otherwise and vote with this misunder-
standing, for which unofficial England has
no responsibility and in which respect Of
fetal England would be wholly unable to
deliver the goods even if it so desired.
Americans in Europe, who are infinite
ly more numerous than ever before, smile
at the suggestion that Great Britain
should be invited to commit national sui
eide at this moment Of all others. They
generously inquire: Where would the
United States be in 1918 but for the Brit
ish navy?'"
To those who think the fourteen points
are unanimously accepted in France we
submit the following expressions of dis
sert:
The Echo de Paris says:
"The Allied European cabinets must
agree upon common attitude. They are
bound by nothing President Wilson has
said or typewritten."
LIE Gaulois says:
"Not having participated in the ex-
change Of notes between America and
Germany, the Allied governments retain
complete freedom of decision and action"
L'Action F'ramcaise:
"We cannot accept distinction be-
tween the various forms of German gov
eminent. We might conceive of privi-
leges accorded certain German states pro-
vided they agree to break away from
Prussia, but we will pay no premium to q
democratic Germany at the expense Of
our own interests and future security.
Not eighteen months ago, like the United
States, but thousand years ago, France
exposed the German sggressions"