The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1919-03-29
THE PRESIDENT AND THE LEAGUE
OF NATIONS

An Englishman of broad and intelligent
vision now visiting in this country SAID
the other day that he and many OF his
countrymen were confused by the critl-
cisms of President Wilson expressed by
Americans who favor the idea Of a
League of nations. "Why," he asked, "do
Americans support the idea and object to
it's vchampionY My daughter, viii is
working for the Allied cause in France,
writes me that all Europe regards Presi-
dent Wilson as its patron saint, and that
she cannot understand the American OPP
position to him."
There is an explanation, and reason
able one of this anamolous situation. We
shall try to state it as briefly and fairly
o., we can.
/; While there is small group who OPP
pose the League of Nations. plan from
narrow partisan motives, and still larg-
er group who sincerely distrust it because
they fear the responsibilities and surren.
der Of sovereignty whic it may impose,
we are of the opinion that the great body
of the American people believe In the
principle of League of Nations. They
believe it is necessary in order to main
tain international peace and justice.
Of this great body one half, perhaps,
support the league idea because of the
President; the other half support it in
spite of the President. 1t is from this lat
ter half, large group, including literally
thousands of patriotic and intelligent citi-
zens, from whom come the criticisms and
distrust of the President that so confuse
our English friend.
The underlying causes of this distrust
are at least four in number.
First, the Presidents words and deeds
during the period of our neutrality in 1915
and 1916; it took him two years to dis
cover that the Allies were fighting not
only for human liberty but for the actual
defense of America; during those two
years he opposed all efforts to prepare
this country for the inevitable struggle
and utteed such phrases as TOO proud to
fight, ""We have not interest in the sourc-
es or causes of this war;" 'The aims OF
the belligerents appear to us to be SINH
lar" and "Be neutral in thought as wei
as in act" The group that distrusts the
President was not and could not be neu
trail in thought; did not believe that thu
aims of the Delhgerents were similar; dlt
have profound interest in the causes ant
icources of war; and certainly after tn
sinking of the Lusitania, We're not to-
proud to fight.
Second, while the President and hi
administration performed great feat il
organizing and transporting an army o
two million men to E-rope, some OF tn
failures of war administration at HON,
were lamentable and ineXcusable, OWN!
to the Presidents refusal either to accep
lcriticism or to associate with himself
men Of the highest efficiency and govern
mental skill, in accordance with the prin
ciples which our English friend will recog
nize as underlying Coalition Cabinet o
Lloyd George. TINS antagonism of thu
President towards his political opponent
produced some intolerable scandals in, TO
example, the production of artillery ant
airplanes, scandals Of which the peopl
Of Europe who regard him as their pat
ron saint have no knowledge.
Third. last November the President
with a partisan appeal unprecedented il
the history of the country, dictatoriall!
instructed the American voter to vote tn,
Democratic ticket. The result was tina
the country not Only resented this dicta
tiop but defeated the Presidents Con
gress., If this had happened in England