Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-08
WILSON'S ATTACKS
SURPRISE. CAPITAL
Even Friends Expected He Would
Avoid Controversy on
Western Tour
SPEECHES WIN SUPPORT
BY CLINTON w. GILBERT
sta6 Correspondent of the Evening rubli'
Ledrer

by 0LxINIUN w. UIIlpCItl
star Correspondent g the EVeninS Public
Washington, Sept. .S--President VIII
sons fighting speeches have caused sur
prise here, even among his friends. He
went away with the declared intention
to present the case for the treaty and
the league covenant calmly and to avoid
all controversy.
"I mean" he said to his advisers,
ito talk about the issues; nobody is
doing that"
Instead, he has swung swiftly into a
sharp attack upon those who were
causing delay, reaching the climax when
he said that such opponents ought to
be gibbeted. The result Is that no pres
idential speeches have ever been read
with such keen attention as those which
Mr.. Wilson is now making.
The speeches are taken here to indi-
cate supreme confidence. This conf
dence is based upon two things The
President knows that his leader in the
Senate, Mr.. Hitchcock, has reached a
virtual understanding with Senator Nc
Cumber on the mild reservations intro
duced by the latter. Where these reso
iutions differ from the proposals Of Sen :
ator Lodge they will be substituted for
reservations and amendments Of the lat
ter, with the aid of Democratic votes.
President Scents Victory
The President knows now the meas.
ure Of the concessions he will have to
make ad he will not have any diff
Guilty making them. He will have won
victory over those who sought to
defeat or amend the treaty.
And the second thing that has set
tho President talking sharply is the
response he has had from his audi
ences. All accounts reaching here rep
resent the people of the West as tired
OF the delay in ratifyiug the treaty,
desiring formal peace and inclined to
blame business uncertainty upon the
tactics Of the Republican leaders who
are obstructing the treaty.
! The issue over the league covenant
has become highly technical. And
popularity the President has the ad-
vantage. Whatever he may have said
at the White House conference, the
position of his representatives now is,
I'VE are ready to accept anything that
does not cause delay. That does not
require submission to foreign powers. y
On the other hand, many Republican
senators--and prominent ones, too--de-
sire to defeat the treaty and start new
protracted negotiations. An advantage
Of the Presidents fighting talk is the
effect it will have upon the weak kpeed
/ Democrats. Many stories are being
put forth by the bitter enders' about
the weakness Of the Presidents support
in his own party, especially among the
southerners. Every day new list OF
Democrats is put forth who have gone
over to Lodge.
Southerners Aid McCumber
These reports are like the story once
put forth that thirty seven senators
had signed an agreement to defeat the
treaty in certain contingencies. That
story was totally untrue. There never
was such an agreement. 1t was alleged
, to exist to frishten Wilson.
, AS matter of fact, the southern
| Democrats are mild reservationists
They stand with McCumber rather thar
with Lodge. Shields is a mild reserva E
ZIONIST. The southern Democratic sen
: ators who oppose the President cannot
! find much encouragement in the fate o
!, Nardaman and Hardwick.
Both opposed him. Both were de
fcated
The bitter -enders" are plainly wor
,, ried over the sharpness Of the Presi
' dents words. Here is an incident:
:, was sitting in Rock Creek Park Satur
day. A senator who wants to defeat
the treaty. rode by ON horseback. HI
= refined in his horse and came over tc
8 . me. just to ask if | had seen the news
!. paper headline about gibbeting.
: That kind OF talk won't get thu
1t President anywhere" the senator said
If he had really thought so, lie
would not have taken the trouble tt
ask me what | thought.