The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-06-28

respective governments IN all de-
mands, however extreme. which ad-
vanced themselves. The mood of the
masses was something quite different
from what has been asserted. These
masses had fought the war through,
they were dog-tired with the agonies
and sufferings; they hated this recent
war, they hated all wars. they wanted
peace and the millennium, but they did
not want to pay the price, If any price
could contribute toward the end de-
| sired.
| All this the president was to dis
cover the moment he undertook to
apply cold logic to the claims of the
French. for example. Actually, he dis
covered it even before this, for with
he had lost French sympathy forever,
by single action. All France, every
French man and French woman de-
manded, expected, awaited, presi
Dental visit to the devastated areas.
France desired that Mr.. Wilson should
appraise German offendings, and
therefore deal with them more severe
~. Seeing what the Germans had
| done in all the industrial districts Of
the north, the French believed Mr.
Wilson would the more readily accept
French estimates Of the bills Germany
must pay.
On his part, however, the president
promptly but firmly declined these in
vitations. He explained that he de-
sired to act without passion and that
if he saw Flanders and Artois, he
might "see red' where it was essen
tial to see without emotion. The re-
fusal marked the immediate end of
Mr.. Wilson's popularity in France.
Thereafter he disappeared from the
thoughts of the masses; henceforth he
was no more than Orlando or Lloyd
George, a visiting statesman. When
in the course of the discussion, the
voice of America was raised to re-
duce French demands on the financial
side, the disappointment famed up
into something like positive anger,
He has not seen our wounds, yet
The would reduce our indemnities, so
the mass of French people, big and
little, said
Criticism Unjust
Yet since this is the case, it is plain
to perceive how unjustly the presi-
dent is criticised by those who de-
nounce the terms of the treaty itself
and assert that, had he chosen to in
sist upon more liberal terms, the plain
people of Europe would have support
ed him against their own statesmen.
What happened, when the president
did appeal to the people Of Italy over
the heads of their diplomats, is final
example of the inaccuracy of this as
sertion. But the French case is quite
as illuminating. To preserve his men
tai balance-so his friends asserted
the president stayed away from the
devastated districts, but this single
course was as fatal to his popularity
in France as was his Italian gesture
destructive to his support in Italy
The truth, which certain glib com.
, mentators do not seem to appreciate
/ yet, is that Mr.. Wilson was never mas
ter of the Paris conference, and exer
cised steadily declining influence as
the debate shifted from general ques
, lions, like the League of Nations, tc
specific problems concerning Euro
!, peans directly. He came to Europe
with very clear idea in his owr
mind that by applying his fourteen
points quite literally and following
them up with League of Nations, he
, could put world peace on a solid foun
! dation. He discovered very promptly
that his fourteen points were really
> no points at all, since they could BIZ
used effectively by both sides in an,
: real controversy, and he discovered
, that the millions who cheered the ides
:. OF permanent peace, turned from hin
!. With cold hostility, when he demand
!. ed of them sacrifices which to hin
+ seemed essential to obtaining sucl
: peace.
. The fact, Of course, is that Mr.. VIII
son, like every other American, VIII,
4 went to the peace conference, discover
\ ed Europe as a thing totally differ
: ent from that Europe he had imagined
q He discovered that problems whicl
!. have provoked centuries of war an
= remained insoluable from generation
. to generation, cannot be solved by an
: merely academic formula Take Fium
for example, and you see an Italia
: town in Slav land, necessary to tn
: Jrgo-Slavs, il they are to have ad,
!, auate commercial outlet, an ineffac.
: able wound to Italian pride, If assign
! ed to the Slavs, who would be certai
:, to expel the Italians.
Mr.. Wilson believed, when he a
. rived in Europe, that the people of a
I the allied countries would support hill
:. = and his fourteen points against the
= governments. He discovered that til
= British would support the fourtee
: points at the expense of the Frencl
= on occasion, and the French an
:. British at the expense of the Italian
:! but even here he found such suppo
: strictly limited by a series OF secrs
= treaties, which bound all three coul
- tries to bargains which were not onl
:. in conflict with his fourteen point
, but with elemental justice.
- Had To Choose Course
There came time, then, when MI
Wilson had to choose between doir
- the best he could and coming hon
p and leaving Europe to fight it out. +
u is gravely criticised by so-called libe
u ais for electing to remain in Europ
IL but in the main this criticism is a
u companfed by the assertion that ha
~ he actually started for home the go
le ernments which existed would ha1
10 come crashing down and new COVER
u ments would have replaced them ar
81 done as he advised. Here again is tt
y familiar argument that Mr.. Wilso
= was in fact master of the situation
he chose to use his power, but tt
fact is quite different
II, for example, Mr.. Wilson had gu