The sun., 1919-09-06
Tells of Curious Thinking.


and the big audience chuckled.
Tells OF Curious Thinking.
Mr.. Wilson came, he said. to dis
cuss some. curious alterations o.
thinking" he had witnessed of late
Some of these he had respected, bu
he feared they were not doing notable
thinking nowadays Did these mel
dare suggest that America shcplt
reject the peace and stand alone IL
the world? They believe that the
United States is so strong that II
could do this, said the President, but
, he knew that this indicated ignornncs
of the state of the world.
1--WE cannot escape rehabilitatine
the markets of the world" said Mr.
Wilson, "if our own markets are to
be revived. II the world is not going
bankrupt"
He explained here the purpose OF
the Reparation Commission and asked
If the United States wanted to play
Clone hand" q hand frozen out
and that he said would be the result
of rejecting the treaty. He put II
even more strongly: that the United
States must carry its new world bur-
den or be ruined.
''As the other nations trusted us
beyond measure, so the reaction bill
will be beyond measure II we fail In
our duty" said the President This
war was a commercial and indus
trial war, not a political war"
He talked at some length straight
at the business men Of st. Louis,
warning them that II the treaty was
rejected and the country had to stand
alone 1t would stand alone In a world
under arms. He painted the situa--
tion Of the United States in such case
as dreadful back breaking taxes, q
vast standing army, huge stores OF
munitions and possibly an autocratic
Government. Then he said:
"There can be no League of Ma
tons without the United States. 1t
would be only an alliance, and If we
become q partner in the League of
Nations then I predict we shall be
the senior partner.
EARNED Isolation or Peace"
"we have our choice" he added,
"armed isolation or partnership and
peace"
He wondered eff some Of the gen.
tlemen who are commenting on this
treaty ever read It," and added that
if he knew who hadn't he would send
them a copy, and many voices yelled !:
"Reed; Jim Reed" He said that
the covenant of the League of Ma
lions is a covenant for arbitration
and discussion, and repeated his af-
ternoon's explanation of Article X,
including the nine months enforced
discussion before war and the boycott
threat. He emphasized here, as he
has emphasized all along. that war
would be most improbable under Ar
ticle X. and boycott.
81 am trying" said the President,
''to be what some men don't know
how to be. a plain spoken, simple
American. I did not come out here
because 1 was afraid of what would
happen, but to get away from Wash
ington. There you hear so much pol
itics that you wish both parties were
smothered by their own gas. / came,
too, to give a hint to some people
that the American people still know
how to think"
Mr.. Wilson listed the weak nations
along the old German road to Bag
dad, and asserted that these could
not stand unless supported by a
league Of nations. and that there
could be no league unless America
went In. He ended rather brief ad-
dress at 9:1o P. NJ, having made
his pretentious speech for the day at
the Chamber of Commerce at noon.
ANY observer who could write that
ne had detected any enthusiasm In
any of the cities Mr.. Wilson has Wis
;ted for the cause OF an unamended
league, or, to make II stronger, for any
kird of league, would be writing an
outright falsehood. Not one Of the
signs and symptoms of eager public
espousal of a cause has been percepti-
BILE, and wherever one goes, wherever
one makes inquiries of levelheaded
Democrats or Republicans. the esti-
mate is confirmed and corroborated.
Everywhere there is apparent great
public respect for and interest in the
President of the United States, and
some OF the expressions OF this tradi-
tional respect and interest are fine and
beautiful things. Here and there are
evidences Of personal regard and lik-
ing for Woodrow Wilson. though he is
no longer the hero to the Central
States that he was before his partisan
appeal preceding the last Congress
sional election. especially in Missouri.
But for his cause, the cause OF the
League of Nations, there isn't even
tepid enthusiasm. One could mention
the names of stalwart Democrats in
the three cities that have been visited
who are alarmed and apprehensive
about the whole business, but who
keep quiet publicly because they
have TO.
Wilson Senses the Feeling.
II anybody in the East doubts the
truth of this LET him fra vel In this M ~