The sun., 1919-05-10
A League OF Nations Mt the Price
OF Shameless Barter?

n League Oh NatlOuS ~ thc EHce
OF Shameless Barter?
One after another of the basic
Fourteen Points has been traded
away by President in partibus, in a
desperate and seemingly INSCRIPTIONS
effort-in both the moral and the in
tellectual sense-to preserve at any
cost the name, at least. of the League
Of Nations for the sake of historic dis
tlnction and the qualification Of an
entirely personal pride Of opinion.
AS the true inwardness and real
significance of the unblushing process
become clearer to the public apprehen-
sion the determination to strike bal
ance grows stronger wherever Amerl-
can citizens are concerned for the con-
stitutional system. Irreslstibly there
comes to mind the wicked old story Of
the New England village doctor who
had been fighting case involving
tragedy for the cause of population.
Show are things going up at the
Jones farm:" he said repeating the
anxious inquiry of Il neighbor. "Well,
pretty bad; pretty damned bad, II
you look at only one side Of it. Child
is dead, the mother hasn't ghost Of
a show, but still have hopes Of pull
ing the Old Man through
The price Mr.. WILSON has been
willing to pay for the comparatively
unimportant satisfaction of pulling
the Old Man through is written
plainly in every part of the covenant,
in almost every section of the pro-
posed treaty. Il is written in terms
of the abandonment tfor the minor
consideration already referred to- of
fully half Of the Fourteen Points orig
finally enunciated by the President on
his own responsibility. frequently pro-
claimed by him in personal pronuncia-
mentos as immutable in principle, I'M
changeable in application, and even
now, after the appalling wreck of the
whole ethical and political structure
clared to be still vital as the basis of
the enemy's acceptance Of the arms
tice terms of November last. Aston
ishment rapidly becomes indignation
when Americans are told that bes
cause President WILSON held out to
Germany the prospect Of a peace
founded upon his Fourteen Points the
Senate has no right to exercise its
constitutional function even to the
extent Of deliberate consideration and
proper amendment for American in
terests, and that the Congress is pow
eriess, without breach Of faith with
q beaten foe, to touch a single hair
of the Fourteen.
Here is the balance sheet, stated as
briefly and comprehensively, we hope,
as words can present the reckoning:
Total number of immutable prIn-
ciples ...............14
Points or principles shameleasry
Traded away already TO preserve
the nominal existence OF tho
League ''''''''. '...........
Points or principles yet unapplied
because the Peace Conference
has not yet settled with Aus
tria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Tur-
KEY .'...'...... .....,.......
Points or principles preserved in
their actual application and not
bartered for the minor consider
alton NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
The League covenant itself.
Total .................14
I. Instead OF open covenants openly
arrived at, the whole process OF ne
COLLATION. has been attended, so for
as President WILSON has negotiated
by a secrecy and furtlveness abso-
lute!y without example In such a case
The very idea of new diplomacy.
Honest, frank and fearless in the
sight Of mankind. has become the
laughing stock Of the observant, both
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