Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1919-05-01
And Things Began to Move.

And Things Began to Move.
But to return to those first days
of President Wilson's second com
ing to Paris. When he got here he
found things damned. During his
absence a series of compromises
had undone a lot of the work which
The president considered settled; a
lot of boundaries had been set on
what the president considered a
bad basis. Certain reports of com
missions which had been considered
final were in his opinion only tenn
porary, and he wasted no time in
thinking things over. He acted.
He was audacious to the point or
~impudence; but he did act, and
things began to move after he ar
rived. The aspect of the confer
ence %changed; the great i~nterna-
tionaI horse trade became again
something like a forum of Justice.
Reporters who saw the change
could not understand what forces
were working, but they knew
something was acting. And that
something was the personality
called Wiison-one man. A curious
human specimen is this man Will
son. He sees no one, reads few
newspapers has no strong advis-
ers; is not the center of a group,
but lives alone, thinks alone, acts
alone. 1t is certain he has few
.ormulas; no one a guess in ad-
vance his reaction to a given event.
cften he seems hesitant and weak.
9et it is as il he were coiling; then
when he strikes it is with force
md precision. He is deadly. He
as also the wisdom Of tho serpent.
m his isolation he is intuitive. De-
iails seem to escape him, but he
lenses great currents, understands
GREAT movements-rides them and
seems to lead them.
md one always must remember this:
Three men finally decided on what is
Acc opted in the peace of the world and
u he League of Nations. Those three
Z, , are Lloyd George. NJ. Clemenceau
a Woodrow Wilson. The respon-
W is stupendous. And when one
r, .Hes what Il strong will can do in
such , situation, one is shocked al
such yer being encased in ono life.
Their n be no doubt that the strong
est " 1 of the three rs that of Presi-
lent son. Clemenceau is old and
obst.!s -, but he caves in when the
press. is strong. Lloyd George is
insin',' ag. seeking lines of least re-
siste. feeling for weak places. COM
prom ~, n greatly insistent but
never ..dominable. Woodrow Wilson
is irc,, hen his conviction is set. He
la. al . ,ntL1~rc MR. xf-n:st. ,-i,:-i
has II opposition from him in the
Whit. House. which surrounds him
with IN and women Of what may he
ne st,ft approach. is not a sign
Of we.ikness; at base it is a sign OF
his ha at Of domination, OF his UNI
lie desire to rule. SO in the
IT shree on all matters which
.ouch his heart. ne has his way.
Now t.ss does NOT mean that he is
n. clustering, uncompromising.
de. The League OF Nations
has u dozen clauses in it which Were
over Wilson's protest, and Wig
orous protest. But while he dis.ised
hem. he lid not regard them rs fund
.mentt.i IN their weakness or malevo-
lence, otherwise these clauses would
be there. For in matters which
he regards as vital he has his way.
Only one sure basis for predio-
ton shout this man Wilson will
work: 1t is his faith in the folks,
in the fundamental Righteousness
Of the American people. That is
the only rule he always seem to go
by. Il is a rule that will guide one
but poorly in guessing Wilson
ahead of his deeds; for opinions
differ as to what the American poo
pie really think. But he knows.
How he knows is a mystery. Ex-
ceptins Colonel House the men
around the president wouldn't know
public sentiment from a psyche
logical hypothesis. and Colonel
House bothers little abou. it. Vet
out Of the very air he breathes.
communing like a mystic with the
spirit Of the times. he strains the
truth-and with tremendous quiet
force he fights for il.
Just now he is having the fi9h.
Of his life; here in the conference,
and there in America. TIE sid
world of nationalisn. Of individual
ism, Of ~iaissez faire at home and
aOToaOs SVe o'o Wo'io UHat was not
its brothers keeper. is battling for
its life. 1t will be a long fight: this
is merely the first round. This dec
ace will rot settle il. The new idea,
the idea Of social democracy, Of
internationa! responsibility, of the
genuine brotherhood Of man will
o spring fuii-panopIicd into
power. It is an epoch's fight. And
today America, through its presi-
dent is the chief defender Of the
new faith.