Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-21
WAVE OF MATERIALISM
|FEAREDBYN MR.. SIMONDS
Attitude on Treaty In Washington Today
Far Different From What President
Wilson Told Europe Year Ago.

1
| forever. Nor is the position of Mr..
| Lansing more favorable. He has not
| seen the President in months. HIS
confession to the Senate the other day
! in the matter OF Mexico aroused SYM
T, pathy even in that center of hostih-
ties. Scattered, too. is the group of self
| styled liberals who acclaimed Mr. VIII
| son on the eve of the Paris confer
ence as the prophet of new interna-
tional era, and such Of them as re-
| main vocal have become the bitterest
! and the most vindictire assailants of
the man they followed hopefully TO
Paris.
AS for the other figures of the Paris
conference. some of them are still
here, but they seem as remote AS the
! statues of Sherman or Sheridan in the
| Washington parks. They belong 10
an era and to an episode seemingly
as remote. Yet they are the men
who yesterday discussed with Lloyd
+, George and Clemenceau the basis OF
new world and formed and modlneo
| boundaries from the Baltic to the
Balkans and extended willing hanos
to receive mandates for Byzantiunl
| and Armenia. To talk with the,h ~
to talk with pale shades They nave
| no place in the busy. BUSTING Amer
| lean capital of the present hour.
And thus at least one comes 20 ~
central fact. 4 year ago tins NOUN
in Rome. in Paris. In Lonoon' -
| President of the United states pro
ture mission of the United states; ne
ANNOUNCED that America had emusic"
for the duration of time IN lhe
Tense of idealistic purposes. re pIt
ed America. without stint ana VIII
i ont reserve. to the cause OF justice
and the maintenance OF peace.
NoteriaIfstic Reaction Seen.
i Today exactly one year later. in
Washington Congress is angrily oe-
hating the proposal to postpone pay
l ment by our recent associates y,
/ terest on the loans we mace ~"
with q magnificent gesture OF seher
os;ty one wear ago In so far as
Washington is barometer AneI"
is TODAY In the midst OF MAJ , ~
jstic reaction, almost as ihlp
the idealistic swing OF t"ei|S
lago. ,or .bat the
Il IT is no secret. however. tna. ,,ay
President believed when he retnrn'u
from Europe that the whole na ,;,,
would rise to welcome le me a nrocured.
Tnday il is not less frankly con-
ceded nv democrats than ii Is iouuE
proclaimed by republicans tha. ~,
country has not risen 'ha' ~ S;ns
visibly stirred. So far as wasnin6 s,
Ton vet knows the country mas no'
Vet taken effective note OF me AZ.
onmstance. Senator's who. whlie ~
termined in their opposition .u
los pue of nations were stun ouoiou
The further consequences OF
, their course, see in the aftermaen "''
rehuke but Endorsement ..;,V,
vas the Presidents conceptlol'
that he was the voice OF ,hat the
;daa,ism in Europe, and tnat
Ids which were uttered by mn,
would be confirmed by that oooy =,
idealists who were the naJorr
!, America. He was warned 'r H. was
IS No true by his party he Wa
n5W;sed against his course WIN w
Sanate against his appeal TO inc Pc
! nile in a trip across tne aa Cor
against his rejection OF me Ssht
ance offered at the climax OF the hs
en- n nases he rejected this advice be-
n,,se he still remained conhdeht %
the ultimate response OF the eouA
Know What Compromise Mems.
To compromise and save trea,! ~
SoIace for the architect WHO'S
whole foundation must De sa sac, -
as a circumstance in any useiui -
promise. He appreciates lar ny .,,a-
fectly that any one else that any SUE,
lasted compromise deprives ms crea
t;on of its moral force. Like every
nroposed compromise on fiuIhe. 80
suggestion of comproInise :" 80
matter of the league of nations Goes
wioience to the principles he mas pro
claimed: and, so far he mas mo-
shrunk from the possibility that re-
fusal to compromise on the Aoria'iS
may bring ruin to mooeri re as -
Today such popular sentiment az r,
| falt in Washington demands a peace
settlement. not on moral. put on iha
terial grounds. The nation seems iiie-
patient at the postponemenu OF peaf ~
concurrent resolution is impossiple;
| II asks TO have the uncertainty ana
the chaos ended. But II unnis'ah
ably makes its demand wlthout re-
GARD to the moral considerations IN
yoIyed 1t manifests no concern over
the sacrifice of any principles ohis
Indignation for any appearance oi
obstinacy which prevents the resto-
ration of peace a detail IN tne r.
sumption of business. So far as WASH
incton knows. public opinion Is Ia
vorable neither to the President nor
to the Senate IL is unaffected by anf
particular form OF compronse. 10
weary to death OF the contest en-
| nhatically hostile to further Euro
pean ventures-oblivious to All the
generous emotions and impulses ot n
| year ago
cumstance there is no difference On
opinion between democrats ana re-
ncblicans Both sides equally recog-
nize the wave of materialism ana inc
failure of all appeal to ideaiism OF
| ali recitation of European duties. The
| pressure for passage OF the treaty
comes not from the champions OF ma
tional idealism. but the spokesman OF
| national prosperity. The arguments
financial interests. not upon American
| idealistic purposes. and the whoie
discussion is assuming a new shape.
Reservations Called For.
But all of this is miles and miles
AWAY from the peace of last year. No
treaty could even be considered now
| which did not carry reservations Ia
tai to the essential spirit of the Presf-
,dent's words in Europe. The reserva-
lions which have become essential IT
the treaty is 10 be ratified at all con-
| stitute a direct Reputation of that
spirit he proclaimed in Europe to be
| American. What has been destroyer
piece by piece in Washington is che
idea of America which he daily and
hourly presented in the peace con-
| ference. big and little. in Paris. He
knows. as the Senate does not-as few
of the people Of the United tSates do
how each debate, each delay. has
| served as a practical reputation or
! his own words. spoken with convic-
| ton in Paris and responsible for an
agreement totally different from any
ordering of world affairs that could
have otherwise been achieved.
/ But with all these circumstances
| the capital is unconcerned. II feels
| that the country has forgotten Eu-
rope. laid aside foreign concerns. he
come intensely concentrated upon ma
| tional affairs. 1t feels that the United
States has demobiliZed. that the war
has become matter for art COM
missions and historians. for statues
/ and for books II cannot even be-
made an issue in the approaching ma
tiona1 campaign in the minds of most
! political observers The chapter seems
! finished. and 'aS you were" has be-
come the word Of command. As for