The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-08

maximum Views, yet hospitality. in
terest and degree Of warmth have
been common TO all. 1t is the express
sion of the national attitude Of re-
spect for Presidents and of the pub
lie appreciation Of the greatest free
entertainment the country has to offer
rural districts, a Presidential visit
The whole attitude has no more to do,
one is told on every side, with the pop
ularity or unpopularity of the League
OF Nations than 1t has to do with the
suit Of clothes that Mr.. Wilson hap
pens to don on any particular day
II there is q more personal side 1t
has to do with the extraordinary adver-
tisement Mr.. Wilson has received,
greater than any President Of recent
times with the single exception, perhaps,
OF that which flowed from the PERSONAL
ity Of Mr.. Roosevelt The people OF the
prairifs and the corn belt crowd to gaze
upon and to hear the man trumpeted as
the first citizen of the world, the man
so voluminously pictured at the head OF
the peace table, walking with Kings and
bowling to Queens, the Commander In
Chief OF the Army and the Navy. the
prestidigitator OF the dictionary. They
flock to feast their eyes upon this amaz-
Ing individual, who corresponds to EN-
ersons definition and for whom they feel
Responsible and to enjoy the SAVIOR OF
rich speech.
Advertising pays for Presidents as for
lesser folks, especially out here. These
things are or should be self-evldent and
scarcely need to be alluded to 1t were
II not for the disposition of Mr.. Wilson $
disciples to accredit every cheer and
Al H. %. n
yotion to Mr.. Wilson's special creed.
Nothing could be more nonsenscal.
Probably Has Gained No Ground.
One wonders If the President himself
is deceived. Enough ground has been
covered, enough time has elapsed, to
produce answers, so far as the Central
States are concerned, to the question
s'Has Mr.. Wilson gained any ground p
Probably no. Why7 Simply because
the people of Ohio, Indiana, Missouri
and Iowa make It very evident to their
Visitors that II they are thinking at all
about the League of Nations they are
Regarding the idea as they regard the
aurora borealis, the rainbow, the noun
tains or the moon or the solar spectrum.
If they are having visions these
substantial Americans, their visio ) are
bf the Saturday night bills that must be
paid. II they are indulging in dreams
their dreams envelopth butcher and
the baker Not even Mr. Wilson's l,ir-
3ng gracefulnesses of diction can COM
pei the brains of men face to face with
the painfully immediate problems of the
fahy struggle to keep reasonably ahead
4 of the deputy sheriff. The cost of liv-
ing, that grossly material problem so
Ear removed from the heart of the
world, so vulgarly detached from the
Visions in mems eyes, is absorbing
their thinking faculties.
! What the people out here are think
Eng about, what they want, is to get
themselves and their country back to
hard, productive work under the hap
piest possible conditions, to get life
restored to something resembling the
domestic comforts and security that
preceded the world war. They are not
thinking tenth so much about the
perils of Poland as they are about the
price of potatoes. Ask them why our
@oldiers went to Europe to fight and
they don't reply that the troops went
seeing visions but to lick Bill the
Kaiser and get bad job done with as
swiftly as possible.
Speak Their Minds Honestly.
There is no guess work whatever
atout their attitude and their state OF
bnind. It is digested from tlS talk o!
linen that meet and gladly honor the
president wherever he pauses-bankers
Farmers, merchants. newspaper editors
manufacturers, worlmen. 1t Is non
srtartisan talk In the circumstances ont
snight suppose that these men would
shade their conversation to suit the pre-
sumable opinion OF the Presidents party
oil 70 n pra ant
ear. Not so. They speak their mind
honestly and frankly. They say: Lett
ket down to business. Let's get dow
30 shoes and ships, and sealing wax anC
tiabbages and let Europe take care OF tn
aSings."
This talk everywhere boils down to
hnoderate belief in and hope for tn
Aeague OF Nations as a possible ex
fedient to discourage war, but it doesn'
boil down to opinion favorable to putting
AN axe to the Constitution of the Unite'
states or to recklessly tying Americt
alp to Europe. As nearly as It can b
Estimated, the majority of the people o
the Central States are willing enough I
nee the league experiment tried, but q
the same time they do not see why
bannot be tried with American right
protected.
they hear Mr. Wilson say that Articl
*, the Monroe Doctrine and right o
Withdrawal are mere details" micro
seopical spots" This merely confirm
them in their instructive belief that
won't do any harm to alter the covenan
aust sufficiently to safeguard America
Fights "Give us the League Of Ma
tions," they tell one, 'but why not a
the same time heed the advice of Georg
Washington" They cannot understan
Why Mr.. Wilson remains so stubborn
opposed to the slightest change in tn
covenant. They say: "Why can't h
Give way a little bit and the other fe
lows give way a little bit so there ca
be a fair compromise and the whole 10
tan be fnished?" '-.
n Eager for Return to Normal.
"Hurry up and get down to business.
Over and over again one hears that al
peal an appeal which is beginning I
Sound like a mandate. Cities and CON
inunities out this way are rebuildin
their prosperity with splendid confidenC
IN themselves and in the future of the
eountry rebuilding 1t with glowing prid
IN their cities. They are weary of tall
weary of delay, weary of squabblin
tancor. war talk, war thoughts.
Pretty much everybody credits II
President with sincerity, Pretty niue
Everybody admires his idealism 81
the hard headed farmers and bushes
men have a notion that Mr.. Wilson
head is in the clouds. There is no al
parent support for the bitter enders an