South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-09-28

W1Oe-eyc0
dacity OF man suggesting to world of nations
that they could believe IN each other; that the in
ternationalisrn Of the future must be of good
will, square-dealng, honor smreservedness inte--
dependence-the disposition to give and take,
and especially Tive,-f the conference was to &C
complish the purpose for which it had met: To
insure the future peace of mankind.
1t came early in the sessions Europe might as
well be given it to understand first as at last that
when America entered the world war to make
the world safe for democracy" she entered it to
make the world safe for democracy that when
she laid down her fourteen points, to be adhered
to in thus making the world safe" she believed
In those points, and that when England, France
and Italy accepted them, they taken as
meaning what they said; these and the other pow
ers, and less Germany with all of whom the
faith must needs be kept.
II was distinct shock, very naturally. to tie
august gentlemen assembled unused to such
frankness, and despite the friendliness of tone,
and philosophical bearing the contention was
shown to have upon the conditions before them,
they wondered what of this
must be-"
Of course, they recognized In him, the historian
and the Princeton schoolmaster, for he told them
more about their history, their diplomacy, secret
intrgues, duplicity international suspiciousness,
clmax,-than they ever dreamed anyone from
so far away could know.
Lloyd George, Lord Cecil Premier Clemen-
ceau, Orlando-the whole galaxy of embryo
peacemaLers including some Americans,-swal-
lowed their Adams-apples, sinking into their
chairs, nearly out of sight, trained as they had
been In the old diplomacy, and incapable of COM
pretending any other possibility.
ceau, sarcastic, and Orlando's brilliant display was
of injured feeGngs-already, perhaps, re-
fleeing upon the effect that such diplomacy
might have on Italy's claims to Fiune.
"
(WHICH is exactly where such Americans as
w Messrs. Lee, White and Wickersham awoke
from their anti-Wilson slumbers to the new
Americansm that this new leader had promul-
gated and saw IN it exactly the information
alism essential, as he had put it, to readjustng the
world a sane, sensible, just, righteous-peace
preserving basis.
These men were Americans enough to see in
the new gospel exactly what the president had de-
signed to put there; not the selfish interests, or
the piques and prejudices of the out-spoiken-but
what lay heaviest down deep IN the heart and
soul Of the great American people. Seeing it, they
had the manliness Of American character TO
thrust the partisanship which they had gone to
champion aside and put their own heart and souls
into the movement
That is the main difference between Lee, White
and Wickersham, as instances, and such Amer
lean writers as Frank II. Simonds, for a different
instance; Simonds the pro-foreign, militarist-
minded apostle Of suspicion and force, who be-
gan to send back home with the presidents first
shot his epstles Of disreason, distrust, and in
sistence that we had insulted and attempted to
coerce all the rest OF the world by philosophy
that chimercal.
Yes, insuted the rest Of the world-f it was
insulted at abby suggesting that nations as well
men should be honest and just, worthy of con-
hdence; believing In each other, cooperating IN
good faith-rather than with suspicion, anticipat-
ing dishonor; practcng the silver rule instead of
the golden one.
If such doctrine was an insult to the world,
Messrs. Lee, White and Wickersham seemed to
opine, then the world deserved to be insulted but
not with such Mr.. Smonds, who, though
American born, seems never to have absorbed
enough of American spirit to draw him down into
the hearts of the people to any considerable
depth
He is that type of American to whom Kaiser
Wilhelm Hohenzollern once referred In CONVEX
sation with his American dentist In Berlin, when
he said there such things as Americans;
that he met traveller from America yet
who didn't seem to be ashamed of it, was always
apologizing for the fact and Immediately
launched off into recital of which foreign com-
try his ancestors came FROM claiming a relation
ship to royalty somewhere'if he possibly could.
No wonder America has had to be wrong
throughout-no difference how right it is,-with
writers and statesmen of the Simonds ilk-of pro-
foreign minds no wonder that men of such
calibre inheriting from their immigrant ancestors,
above all others, faculties Of suspicion distrust,