The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-22
CURRENT COMMENT
A Paoifist Offensive Against clemenoeau

The worlds attention is to-day direct
ed to the sharp divergence between Mr.
Wilson's Manchester speech and Premier
/ Clemenceau's address to the French
chamber on Monday We hear from one
of the correspondents at Paris that NJ
Clemenceau's remarks created a painful
impression among Americans" there. If
it did so, the Americans SO affected must
be only those who are committed TO
particular view, for the Clemenceau
speech was clearly in perfect harmony
with the sentiments OF what seems to be
majority of the senators of the United
States, and that this is the prevailing
view of the American people is clearly
indicated by the majority they have re-
turned to both houses of the Goth Con.
gress. The American people can hardly
be panied to see their wishes needed by
the highest representatives of the graf
powers with which we are associated.
What NJ, Clemenceau does is to en-
! phasize the necessity of maintaining the
relation between the four great powers
which fought the war to its finish What
Mr.. Wilson emphasized at Manchester
was the league Of nations idea, with Ger
many in it on afbasis of influence equal
| to that of the victorious nations The
presidents statement that America will
join in no combination of power which is
not combination of all of US" is subject
to no other Interpretation than that.
The superior appeal to us of the nations
with which we have been associated in
war is distinctly repudiated in the Man
chester speech But do the American
people repudiate that appeal? We do not
believe 50, and there is surely no indica-
ton in their recent voting that they re-
! pudiate it. The American people have
not the slightest disposition to reject the
earnest demand of President Poincare,
communicated in his New Year greetings
to them, that they shall stand side by
side and in unison with the great sister
! republic" in the preparation of "a better
and brighter future for humanity"
There is where we all want to stand.
/ In the meantime, the Americans who
are at present domiciled in Great Britain
must be receiving a decidedly painful
/ impression from the attempt which that
recognized organ Of British pacifsm, the
Manchester Guardian, is making to force
the Wilson IA points, in their most paei
( fist Interpretation, upon our French al
/ lies. "If our friends reject it [the vii.
son program, they will have to make
their own peace and dispense with our
assistance" says the Manchester Guard
ian. This presents TO NJ. Clemenceau a
demand for Wilson at full strength or
nothing at ALL We doubt if NJ. Clemen-
ceau viii be frightened by the threat In
spite of the intimacy of the president
with the Manchester pacifst paper-its
editor being the only non-official person
whom he has summoned to an interview
since he arrived in Europe-the French
premier is depending on Mr. Lloyd
/ George and his associates in the peace
conference, Mr.. Balfour and Mr.. Bonar
Law, instead of upon the Manchester
I Guardian, for the definition of Englands
position, And so far as American senti-
ment is concerned, these gentlemen know
exactly where to look for its expression.
/ They are aware that an election has
taken place in the United States, and
that it has proved that the view enter
tanned by the American people regarding
! the war and its consequences and its
future guarantees of world peace is quite
different from that held by the Manches-
ter Guardian--Boston Transcript.