The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-01-25
j. S.-ENCLAND
lcontinued From Paqe One. !

lConttnueo from rage One
in London three years ago or two
years ago, nothing could have appear
cd more impossible. 1t needed some
thing beyond our mere participation
in the war to complete the thing.
Exactly this Mr.. Wilson's visit con-
tributed. 1t is easy to oyerestimate
the permanent value Of any single in
cident or of the emotions OF any one
moment, but have found no one In
London who did not feel that there
had been an enduring gain for Anglo
American understanding as a result
of the presidents visit.
II would be difficult to cxaggerate
with the greatest war in human his
situation as viewed by thoughtful
Englishmen. We are hardly done
with the greatest war in humana his
tory: and few hours travel from
London brings one to human shores
on which the waves of Bolshevism
and anarchy are breaking with ever
increasing force. The war has ended
as no man foresaw. and the momen.
tary exultation at the end OF the
strain has already given way to the
bitter realization that the strain has
been transformed, not removed.
Gave Vitality to Hopes.
do not purpose at this time to
make any reference to British poll
tics, save to warn my American read
ers against too sweeping generaliza,
ton in any direction In the same
way I refrain from estimating at this
distance and with to slight evidence
the extent or the reality Of the Boil
shevik menace in Germany and out OF
it. But foreign politics and domestic
politics are tremendous factors In the
present situation, puzzling, battling,
in sense discouraging.
Europe has discovered how differ
ent is the cessation from fighting
from an actual restoration Of peace
Peace, for four and half desperate
years, has been golden promise, a
sufficient goal to enlist all effort. But
II has turned out that even when the
fight is over and the victory won, the
goal remains remote. There are still
pain. privatiOn, apprehension. One
immediate peril has gone, but half
dozen which seemed remote yester-
day have today become immediate.
Into this situation President Wilson
has come to give vitality to the old
hopes, aspirations and expectations.
No one can egaggerate the danger
lAhCACAl SuSH q POSlLlOI duu Ill
such a role. No living man. no man
who has ever lived. could satisfy the
expectations President Wilson has
aroused. Yet this much is clear: He
has so far done nothing to lessen
hopes and much to strengthen them.
When he went away from England,
he left behind him new hopes, but he
shattered none Of those which existed
before he came.
Let 1t be understood at once that
this British visit was not in any sense
another OF the old-fashioned Hands
across the Sea" and Blood Is thicker
than water" affairs. II was not past
relationship, but future cooperation
which was and Is In the minds of Brit
ish and Americans. The old efforts
earnest and sincere as they were,
failed UNNECESSARILY because they
were backward looking and rested up
on an old association which could not
be restored
Belief In Cooperation.
Viewed close to the event and with
all proper qualifications necessary in
the premises, the great thing, the very
greatest thing, about President Will
sons visit was that 1t created the be-
lief that there could be present and
future cooperation between the Unit
ed States and Great Britain, because
there was solid basis for such COOP
Grafton.
Millions Of men and women found
In the presence and in the words Of
Mr.. Wilson evidence of a contempt
rary community of thought, Of aspira-
lions and of ideals. l came to London
wholly skeptical of the Wilson visit
found unanimous testimony to its sue
cess, including that Of the Americans
least reserved in criticising an Ameri-
can to an American.
Certainly the visit settled nothing
SO far as the Congress of Versailles is
concerned. The great problems await
solution. But l do not think exag-
gerate when say that 1t lifted Anglo
American relations to a new level
of common understanding and SYM
patty. The President did not cham
pion an Anglo American alliance as
the solution Of the present world cri-
sis, but he did promote better Anglo
American understanding; and he did
II not by emphasizing the fact that
a certain percentage Of American peo-
pie are of British stock or by stress
ing the fact of common institutions,
but by demonstrating that In the pres
ent year Of grace Americans and Brit
ish are facing the, same perils with
the same essential hopes. with pur-