The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-08
Set Opponents Tnlkiuc.


Washington, Sept 7.--senate OPP
ponents OF the treaty are not disturb /
ed by President wilson's excoriation |
of them
Republican opponents Of the treaty I
think the courtesy and consideration
they showed the president in their I
question at the white house conference
are III repaid by his application to the
resorvationists OF such epithets as
contemplate cutters" Those who
are favorAng reservations see no rea-
son why the president should charac-
terize them as ''quitters" Their pur-
pose is merely TO obtain for the United
States a better bargain that he was
able 10 make. They are confident that
a better bargain can be secured.
Senator Medill Mccormick. of I'LL
nois. today made some caustic com
ments upon the presidents criticism Or
the senate. He said.
'Dr, Wilson is threatening again.
Senators will not quake. ashen and
weak. before his spent bolts Although
Mr.. Wilson no longer by any construc-
ton assumes to speak for the majority
of the people, he Is uttering threats
and promises with furious and volube
ipartiailty. Abraham Lincoln, who
came from my state OF Illinois, from
tenance on this journey. remarked
that you could not fool al lthe people
all the time. Mr., Wilson was elected
upon the issue that he kept us out
of war He made that issue and he
and his political committees by direct
imputation or by tnnuendo, ascribed
to Colonel Roosevelt Mr. Hughes and
other Republican leaders, the intention
to go to war, Mr.. Wilson held that
perhaps we were too proud to fight
that we must be neutral in fact and.
impartial in thought sls well as in ac-
tion, between autocracy and democ-
| racy at war in Europe, He held that
we were not Concerned with the
causes and the object of the war.
That was before the election and be-
fore we Joined in the war, But now
nanswer To questions by n member of
the foreign relations committee he
says he thinks we have gotten in the
war anyway, even II Germany had
committed no act of war or act of In
justice against our citizens fco1loquy
with Senator McCumber, August 49,,
Mr. Wilson is going to keep us out
of war---again--and his vtllainous OPP
ponents stand in the way of peace!
Say She Had No Right.
MIR. Wilson, more than any other
man in the world, is responsible for
the delay TN ratifying peace, He has
negotiated treaty in defiance of the
established practice under our con-
stitution, in cynical disregard of his
own expressed opinions and in abso
lutte contempt of the majority of the
American people ar expressed at the
polls. The people. as explicitly as
they could, denied Mr.. Wilson the
right TO speak for them in foreign
affairs,
During the war Theodore Roosevelt
had no part in the counsels of the
government, but he was never more
powerful in the counsels OF his coun-
trymen than during the last months
before he died. 1t was his voice and
not Mr.. Wilson'S TO which the people
gave heed In the November elections.
OF their decision al the polls, Theo
dore Roosevelt wrote:
"'On Mr.. Wilson's own say so (the'
people) repudiated his leadership ."
Under these circumstances our allies
and our enemies and Mr.. Wilson HIM
self should all understand that Mr..
speak for the American people at this
time. His leadership has just been
emphattcaliy repudiated by them. The
newly elected congress comes far
nearer than Mr., Wilson TO having d
right TO speak the purposes OF tho
american people al tnls moment,
He IL president of the United
States He il part OF the treaty maxi
ing power, but he liz only part. II
he acts In good faith to the Amerf-
can people he will not claim on the
other side Of the water any represen-
tatise capacity in himself to SPEAK
for the American people. He will sey
frankly that his personal leadership
has been repudiated and that he now
has merely the divided Official leader
ship which he shares with the sen
ate"
association with the spokesman for
the majority Of the people. but took
~ his .colleagues In Paris four scry-