New-York tribune., 1919-01-13

miliar and not ungrateful sound to
Americans with some knowledge of how
their own Constitution was built and
some affection for it's ideals.
No such constructive criticism is to be
found in The New Republic, which has
been Mr.. Wilson's most ardent advocate.
But there is an illuminating note of re-
sentiment in the current issue that shows
how widespread is the disapproval of Mr.
Wilson's autocratic ways In a leading
article, called "The Lone Hand" these
passages occur:
Other statesmen have always an eye to
the supporting forces behind them. Not
so Presidents Wilson. At least, if he has
cherished a desire for sympathetic sup
port in public opinion he has given no
sign of it. To those in America who have
backed him most warmly he has been
most cold. BY instinct Or by conscious
choice he plays lone hand
In the declaration of the
President may be said to have had the
support of the majority, at least of the
active majority. But who in America or
elsewhere was called into consultation
when the President formulated his four
teen points of January 9Th, 1913, his four
points Of February 11th and his five points
of September 9th? In celebrating this
American charter of world peace, Presi-
dent Wilson worked alone The current
tradition has it that when the onjuncture
demands new action, action upon which
turn issues Of tremendous import, the
President rises betimes and PAGES his
room, reaching conclusions with his
soul and his Maker. That may we'll be.
Certainly the Presidents pronouncements
have fallen upon the world, for the most
part, with their contents anticipated but
dimlN if at all. They bear individual
impress, not the character of the product
of group thinking and group will.
That view may prevail but if it
does, it will be by virtue of less isolated
policy on the part of liberal statesmen in
other countries. And if the better view
does not prevail, that will in part be due
to the Presidents prediction for playing
a lone hand.
We have seen few better characterize
tions of the Presidents craftsmanship,
its manner and it's dangers. The Neac
Republic does not, perhaps, pay adequate
attention to those mystical "voices'
which Mr. Wilson listens for and reports
from time to time. If the voice Of The
NcaO Republic had been included one
cannot help suspecting that the Presi-
dents lone hand would not be so chas-
tised. But the wounds of this loving
friend are none the less instructive.
We do not agree with Mr.. Austin Har-
rson's precise proposal for what might
be called constitutional conventions in
the several nations. We do hold, and we
think most Americans fear, that if a
league of nations is to succeed it must
grow naturally from the common wisdom
Of all nations and all parties, by slow de-
bate, by careful construction, by COM
promise, exactly as our American Con-
stitution was developed in the long
months of 1887. Had George Washing-
ton entered the Philadelphia convention
with fourteen points or five points or six
points, had there been anything but a
spirit of common counsel and generous
compromise, a new charter of liberty
might have been evolved, but it would
certainly not have commanded the sup
port of the colonies, and it's failure would
have been swift. No despot, however
benevolent, could have solved that COM
plex problem.