The sun., 1919-09-30
Everybody Else Knows It.


1t is an interesting circumstance
that the Man Of Power In the council
of the Peace Conference, the states
man who from first to last has worked
with devoted patriotism for the in
terests OF his own country, the shrewd
and humorous observer of the frail-
ties Of weaker and more visionary
3 minds, should be the person to ad-
minister the coup de grace to Presi-
dent WILSON'S persistently maintained
theory that 1t is impossible to change
the treaty in any particular, either by
3 amendment or by valid reservation,
without imperilling the future peace
of the world.
Now, probably GEORGES CLEMENcEAU
cares as little as anybody living about
the rainbow covenant and the tinted
vapors Of Mr.. WILSON'S League Of Ma
tions. CLEMENcEAU measured the
man and the plan upon their very first
> appearance at Paris. In certain
diplomatic sense he worked with the
man, not for the sake Of the man but
for the sake of France. To a certain
extent he supported the plan, not for
sake of the plan but because it was a
negotiable counter In that matching
of minds in which he engaged for the
sake of the ACKNOWLEDGMENT and secur-
ity of the great nation he represented.
There is no evidence that at any time
he has cherished Illusions suggested
by President WILSON'S rhetoric. The
French Premier accepted the covenant
because his acceptance of the covenant
gave him what he wanted in the
treaty outside of the covenant articles.
He accepted 1t because it procured
from President WILSON the promise
Of the special treaty of protective al
lance which Is yet to be considered by
the Senate of the United States, and
by our Senate disentangled from Its
contrived dependence upon a super
governmental international authority
at Geneva.
So while President WILSON has been
proclaiming from stump to stump
in the United States his unalterable
proposition that It is impossible to
amend his treaty in the slightest par
ticular without defeating peace, with
out treacherous abandonment OF
France and our other associates, with
out breaking the heart of the world,
the French Premier has OPPORTUNITY
annihilated that essential argument by
agreeing for his Government, in the
Chamber Of Deputies to negotiate
with the other Governments concerned
for what is virtually an amendment
to the treaty as written. If President
WILSON is right in his declared view
of the impossibility Of change Pre-,
mier CLEMENCEAU calmly proceeds to
attempt the impossible. If President
WILSON is right about the treachery
TO our associates implied in such @
proceeding Premier CLEMENCEAU in
ours, without the least sign of intel
lectual or moral conjunction, the
charge of treachery. If President VII
son is right about breaking the heart
of the world Premier CLEMENcEAJ
hesltates not an instant In starting
the first crack in that alleged heart
of an alleged world. We can recall In
modern history no swifter or more
conclusive refutatlon Of false argu
ment insistently presented.
Writing in the Public Ledger Of
yesterday on the subject of reserva
tions ex-Presldent TAFT administers
another rebuke to his successors OBJ
stinate and autocratic demands. Few
Americans have done more to support
the general fortunes Of Mr.. Wilson's
project than Mr.. TAFT and his League
to Enforce Peace. We have before u!
at the moment a personal and conf
Dental appeal issued by the Natlona
Campaign Manager and the Assistant
National Campaign Manager of Mr.
TAFTs own League. 1t is dated al
recently as September 10. 1t is ad
dressed to Dear Fellow COvenanter,
and 1t reads as follows:
NEARLY everybody. except political
trimmers and self-seekers, wants the
Peace Treaty and Covenant ratified
without further delay. Humanity,
commerce, labor, the whole social Or
der need ratification nor. We urge
that you Immediately ,orite. telephone,
telegraph. or visit Senators and de-
niand prompt and unqualified ratin-
cation, and that you get other per-
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