The sun., 1919-04-26
ltaiy's romIt Answer.

ITALY Indicate that the first result Of
President WILSON'S unprecedented In
trusion into the political affairs Of
that friendly and sovereign nation
=, has been to solidify public sentiment
In support Of Premier ORLAHDo's po-
sitlon and to intensity the determina-
ton to have Fiume at any cost. The
patriotic demonstrations everywhere
denote an Italy united In this purpose.
The King and the Parliament and TIE
masses are alike behind vrrrono On
LANDo In his res0lute stand.
Now, this is about as far as any
thing that can be conceived from
what Mr.. WILSON expected when he
jumped with both feet into the purely
European question Of Italy's future
in the Adriatic. Otherwise his in
comparable fiexibllity would have
found some slantindlcular application
of the sacred Fourteen Points suit
able to the emergency, as he has done
in SO many other cases concerning
the national aspirations Of Italy's al
lies. He would have sought to avoid
clash perhaps rs destructive of his
League of Nations as might have been
a deadlock with Great Britnln over
the Point Of the freedom Of the seas,
or over the embarrassing question Of
self-determinntion for Ireland or for
Egypt. He may have reckoned that
there was no more true lnwardnesS
In ORrANDo's professed intention Of
withdrawal from the conference than
there was In his own implied threat
when he sent u hurry order for the
George Washington.
President WILSON must have be-
lieved either that the Italian dele
gates were blufTng or that the Italian
people beyond the Alps would arise
In wild enthusiasm and overturn Or
LASpo's Government at the call Of a
foreign statesman appealing to them
over the heads Of their authorized
representatives at Paris. There is
no other readily available explana-
ton Of his audacious self-confidence
unless we suppose that I've had at last
abandoned hope of achieving his main
purpose and had decided to put the
responsibility of historic failure
as far away from himself as possible.
This last theory we PROFOUND merely
TO declare 1t untenable.
1t Is singular fact that twice
within about half year so adroit a
politician and so frequently selfpro-
claimed an Interpreter Of and spokes-
man for popular opinion outside Of
official circles should have failed so
conspicuously in the attempt to exert
tthat advantage of high place and i'm
pressive utterancc Of which he wrote
these words long ago when speaking
Aof the Presidency:
His office is a mere vantage
n ground from which he may be sure
that effective words Of advice and
timely efforts at reform will gain
telling momentum. He has the car
OF the nation AS Oh COuTSes anu
great person may use such an ad-
vantage greatly"
His first fatal error In the applica-
ton OF his ideas of Presidents
function was the memorable attempt
of October last to use that place Of
vantage AMI that telling momentum
of effective words to procure the cleo
ton Of partisan Congress sure to
support him in his plans Of world
reformation.
Is the secret Of the two mistakes
and the two fur renchlng failures con.
Z tanned In that precept Of sincerity
and unselfishness which President
z NILS addressed to an audience In
Washington on the Fourth of July
three years ago when he said with
keen philosophlc insight: "a man who
works in order that he may be dis
8 tingu!shed Is sooner or Inter going to
do some selfish thing which will dis
grace him because his object ie him
self and not the Ideals which he
serves?