Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-29

VERY circumstance of the Presi-
X dents foreign mission has in re-
cent months been subject to so
! much controversial comment that
| it is difficult in the extreme to discuss
| this visit without seeming to join in the
! controversy. Yet it is patent that there
| was a fact that there were many
| facts about the stay of Mr.. Wilson in
the French capital which can be de-
scribed as they existed, without refs
erence to the domestic political differ
ences at home, just as misapprehen-
sions exist at home which can be ex-
planned away without dealing with
the main issues of dispute.
For example. when l landed in New
York. the newspapers were filled with
the terms of the preliminaries OF
peace which had several weeks before
been served upon the Germans and
the republican half of the Senate was
! crit1cising an apparently unsuccess-
full effort Of the President to withhold
these terms from it and from the
American public But the fact was
| that Mr.. Wilson had tried frequently
and earnestly to have these terms
published. He had urged such publica-
ton from the very hour when they
had been served upon the Germans.
believing and declaring that the peo-
pie of the world were entitled to know
what the Germans knew as a matter
Of right.
! Clemenceau had readily consented to
the publication. remarking as an ex-
perienced journalist, that it was use
less to try to suppress them and fool
ish to attempt to do something at once
unpopular and impossible. Orlando
had made no objection and had little
concern, since Italy was not affected
by the settlement with Germany. But
Lloyd George had stoutly opposed the
publication. Once, when the British
premier had left Paris for a visit to
the north, the three other members Of
! the big four had reached an agree
ment to publish the terms. but on his
return Lloyd George overbore all
| three.
Lloyd George for Secrecy.
What Georges objections to public
| ity were must be conjectured. but it
! is fact that he was at all times and
in all circumstances opposed to pub
licity. Certainly Mr.. Wilson might
have given the terms out. despite
Georges objection, but to do this
would have been to create bad feel
- 80 IN, hio In
stance as in SO many others yielded
to a colleague.
But there Is a much larger field of
criticism Of the President, which
rests upon misapprehension. There
! seems to be a widespread belief in
this country that the President by his
incessant urgings of the league of
nations actually delayed the progress
Of settlement of terms upon the ma
terial problems. This is totally in
exact. When Mr. Wilson reached Eu-
rope in December he did not find
France and Britain with programs
arranged or with policies agreed
upon. On the contrary, neither coun-
try had framed a program jointly or
separately. Britain, under Lloyd
Georges impulsion. had gone through
the throes of an election, which had
consumed all the energies and atten-
/ ton of it's statesmen, France was
wrestling with the grim problems of
reorganization, temporary, incipient
reorganization after four years and a
| half of invasion and devastation
England Chief League Advocate.
More than this, the President did
! not bring his league of nations plan
| to Europe and force it upon a reluc-
! tant or hostile conference. Before
| he had even reached Europe Great
| Britain had decided to champion this
great experiment, and many British
ministers had taken their turn at
devising the actual machinery, for
the President had not gone beyond
the vaguest conception of a world
league If the French were frankly
incredulous and openly critical they
were, on the other hand, totally I'M
! ready with a program for the peace
, conference, and their own plans
were not disarranged by Mr.. Will
sons purposes. At all times and
under all circumstances the league
Of nations part of the business of