New-York tribune., 1919-05-01
The Supremest Buncombe

Of all the eloquent phrases put for
ward by the aggrieved radicals of the
hour none holds a greater content of
sheer buncombe than the talk of "peo-
pies" as opposed to Representatives
The talk is childish in most cases. The
Noa0 Republic prated of the Caesars"
of the peace conference only a short
while ago, and undoubtedly thought it
was talking sense. The President is ever
appealing from the rulers" to the "peo-
pie" and insisting that we must have a
peace of the 'peoples," not of their
governments. And Mr.. Oswald Garr-
son Villard who lets not his pacifst left
hand know what his right is doing, bit
terly stamps on the league covenant be-
cause it does not provide plebiscites
every quarter hour.
Now, just how much truth is there in
this talk? What does the record show?
What Of Italy? The President appeals
from Premier Orlando to the people of
Italy, and they rise up and demand
Fiume. An overwhelming majority in
Italy wants exactly what Premier Or
lando is standing for. That is why he
holds his job. That is why most repre-
sentatives hold their jobs. The system
does not work perfectly-no system of
government works perfectly. But nine
times out of ten your democratically
elected statesman represents the wishes
of his people. He has to. Even Mr..
Wilson is not completely inaccessible.
Another conspicuous illustration was
the last British election. The radicals
complained bitterly about the dictator
ship of Lloyd George. The Labortes
were hailed as the deliverers Of the
world by all the parlor Bolsheviks of
both hemispheres. Yet when the cleo
tion was held the Labor candidates were,
showed under. Not single one of their
conspicuous leaders was elected. Of
course, hundred alibis were brought
forward. But the fact was unmistakable
that the people of England did not think
the radical thoughts the radicals wished
them to think.
The Monroe Doctrine is the best illus
tration here. Mr.. Wilson thought so
poorly of it that he ignored it IN the first
draft of the league covenant. When a
number Of Senators began to protest the
radicals chartered with rage. "Wait till
you hear from the people!" they cried
And Mr.. Wilson, dropping in for a mo-
ment, said "Amen!" Yet the more the
the demand for the Monroe Doctrine.
Every observer came back with the same
report. And, finally, even Mr.. Taft and
Mr.. Wilson were persuaded that, right
or wrong, the people must have their
Monroe Doctrine.
The truth is, of course that when the
radicals talk of "the people" they don't
mean a majority of the people at all
They mean nothing more than their own
little group of thinkers. Wish is father
to the thought, and, being utterly intel
ligent and quite dehumanized, they know
less than nothing of what the majority
of folk are thinking and believing.
We recall an illustration. The oues-
ton of nationalism was up for discus
sion in the days before the war before a
little club of grave radicals. An inter-
Looping visitor remarked that in his obser-
walton there was no single issue to which
the vast majority of people responded SO
swiftly and vividly as patriotism. This
sincere and exceedingly able radical,
a woman, treated with good-natured
'amazement, declaring that in her view
nobody paid any attention to patriotism
nowadays. Her own pet belief she had
fastened upon the whole world.
On the purely practical side, nobody
has invented system of holding fire.
quent plebiscites worth anything in ma
tion of many millions. Most difficult of
all to submit to the people directly arc
the questions of peace and war which
will not wait for prolonged discussion
and which change complexion daily. The
only alternative is the representative
system, which has many faults, but
which does bring some intellectual proc
esses to bear and which does, in the
main, represent, as our friends the radi-
calls are finding out to their intense dis
gust and grief.
But the radical himself does really be-
licvc in the doctrine he breaches. Wit
ness his determination to find excuses
for Lenine's dictatorship Lenine being a
man who holds not merely that elections
shall be occasional, but there shall be no
elections at all.
Minority Report
lErcn1