The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1919-04-21
SILLY BUT HARMFUL AND DAN
GEROUS


at the Paris Peace Conference, the
: great majority of the special cores
! pondents sent to report the dilibera-
lions of that body for the American
reading public appear determined to
exploit themselves; foist their indiyid-
ual opinions on us or else devote their
space to propaganda which has more
| or less political significance. Take
| as example the following, from an
article syndicated by Frank H. Sim
onds:
81 am told by persons of authority
that Mr.. Wilson has in his posses
sion a sketch Of a separate treaty
with Germany, a peace treaty to be
made by the United States and Ger
many only, which is his final threat
provided his leadership does not pre-
| vail further. | am told with equal
authority by French observers that
Mr.. Wilson has completely lost his
influence in France because of the
universal conviction that, underneath
the cover of his Utopian projects and
without his knowledge, international
finance has been engaged in des-
perate, effort to modify the terms with
Germany so as to prepare the way for
the rehabilitation of German buis-
ness by American capital. This more
than anything else explains the UNI
nistakable Collapse of the Wilson le
aeId in France"
Now, have you ever read anything
more absurdly ridiculous, yet at the
'satie time filled with greater posi-
bilities for harm Gf believed) than
that stuff? Mr.. Wilson has, ready
for submission separate treaty with
Germany! He is holding this treaty
us threat over the head of the Allied
powers, to force through the Confer
ence his own pet schemes! Also, Will
son has completely lost his influence
at Paris because he has allowed him
self presumably because he has
neither sense nor judgement) to be
made the tool of business interests
in this country which are anxious to
devote their capital to rebuilding
German trade!
Can you imagine anything more I'M
scrupulous, more deliberately built to
deceive than this variable rot that
is sold daily to leading Suthern news
papers? It's falsity is directly estab-
lished by the news cables which tell
us that the peace treaty is almost
ready to submit to Germany, and
that it is drawn much along the
fourteen principles enunciated by Mr..
Wilson. This news also brands the
silly canard that Mr.. Wilson had call
ed his ship to France in a threat to
leave unless his ideas were adopted.
We can understand why Simonds
and the men who are back Of him, as
illustrated by that rabid Republican
stalwart, the New York Tribune, will
persist in destroying their own i'll
influence toward world peace in an
effort to discredit Mr.. Wilson or work
him harm. but we cannot understand
why good Democratic Southern news
papers can give it the weight and in
fluence that their columns carry. 1t is
this weight and influence that makes
the stuff dangerous in the South.
Tho newspapers are in a measure
to blame because the people are
growing impatient for results at Paris,
for the newspapers are in a pos
to know why much time is necessary
to settle great questions, while the
average man or woman is not.
Those papers which have persistently
attempted to anticipate the intentions
of the Conference have done harm.
They have guessed, and the majority
of their guesses have gone wrong
Many special correspondents in Paris,
like Simonds, have guessed and guess
ed badly. when they had no positive
information. Others like hime have
given their opinion instead of facts
4 and the people have been misled. AS
matter o. fact, the Conference has
made unusual progress-even better
than expected. 1t has solved the
mightiest problems the world has
seen and solved them in less time
than similar body, with only an atom
of its responsibility, took FOR it d.
alterations,
In urging patience. We cannot do
better than quote David Lloyd George,
in Il recent interview with the editor