Evening journal., 1919-09-04

| fIesldent WILSON'S extensive and eN
pensive speech making Journey to tn,
Pacific and back begins today. tn,
alert minds Of several Of The sun,
correspondents have already detected
the obvious consistency OF his saylns
and doing. The President is now urg-
ing the laboring men Of the United
States TO stay on their Jobs for the
sake of the country at this critical
juncturc In our economic and indus
trial experience. Not very long ago he
was urging the Congress to forego its
intended recess and to stay on its job
. for the same supremely important rea-
son. There are many millions OF
Americans who cannot understand why
he, elected to perform at Washington
certain specifically defined executive
duties, and sworn by his oath Of office
to perform them as the Constitution
prescribes, and, moreover, lately re-
turned from a self-determined absence
from his post Of duty on a rainbow
chasing excursion into the compleli-
ties OF Europes political affairs. should
decline 10 stay on his own job FOR the
sake Of the country at this same crit
cal tunoture in its domestic affairs. We
do not believe that these minds which
cannot comprehend the workings Of
Mr.. Wilson's mind in this matter are
either dense or disrepectfully inclined
toward the President.
There are several possible explana-
tions, Of course. one is that the Presi-
dent is so thoroughly convinced Of the
sacrosanct character Of the covenant
which he has devised for the reorgani-
zation Of world politics. and so COM
pletely possessed or obsessed with the
B sense Of personal paternity and per-
sonal responsibility for it. that he is
willing to sacrifice all other interests
to the desperate hope Of stemming the
adverse tide Of healthy nationalism and
sound Americanism which has been
setting steadily against him and his
project ever since he quit the Paris
Conference. The sun has already
pointed out the almost grotesque fall
lacy involved in this process OF reason
ing. 1t is this. The President, having
conceived or constructed certain
ideals" Of bis own respecting world
government and our relation 10 IL. went
abroad on his own motion and mis-
iakenly represented those ideals Of his
as the ideals Of the American people.
He told Europe that he had a mandate
from the people who had sent him 10
give practical effect TO these ideals:
that he would not dare go home TO
America with his mission unful1lled |
BY trading and barter and the abandon !
ment Of distinctly proclaimed principles |
in matters yielding material advantage !
TO the foreign statesmen with whom !
he was matching minds he succeeded I
in some degree in his purpose. Then,
he came back and told his fellow cOun-
trymen that it would break the heart
of Europe n his covenant was rejected
here. when this plea seemed likely |
TO be unayailing he declared his inten-
iion Of spending a month away from
his post Of duty in a personal cam
paien to persuade America 10 accept |
the very same ideals which he had 4
presented TO Europe, not as his ideals,
but as the ideals Of America Surely
there has been no more peculiar exam
pie OF this method Of promotion since
Mr.. Facing Both-Ways was yocally
active.
Another theory Of the stumping ex-
pedition which begins today is that 7
even the Presidents fervor for the
League OF Nations has recently become
secondary I'm political value, in the esti-
mate OF HIS characteristic opportunism. |
10 a new issue which he styles the
characterization Of labor" whatever
that phrase may really mean. He told ,
his fellow countrymen in his Labor
Day message that he had in view
plan for putting the whole question
Of wages upon another footing" II is
quite possible that the new issue. thus
impressively il vaguely indicated. may
occupy. before he gets far with 10, the
foremost place in his forensic pro-
program: although, IL that shall be the |
case, II IS reasonably certain to be in
terwOven or intertwined with the
earlier ISSUE in his rhetorical outglv-
ings between the Atlantic and the Pa
cllc. II Is equally possible, Judging
from past experience, that his deliver
ances on the subject may prove in
cold type as unsubstantial and unsatis-
factory and evasive OF practical import
as most Of his preachments on the
covenant and the League.
The third supposltion as to his actual
iA'hAf' AbA tN40 i'uthNA - NiutA9 th-
iertalned. II yet improved. II regards
Mr., Wilson as already a conscious and
self-determined candidate for a third 4
and third election. II re-
CARDS The swing around the great circle
as the initial enterprise Of a systematic
for a third term cam
palgn IN which what seems 10 him the
most promising issue Will have the
lrst place, whether that Issue is for
slgn or domestic, international or ma
.iOnal. II takes also into account that
personal Joy in oratory. that immense l9