The Washington herald., 1919-02-05
WILSON MAY TURN
DICTATOR AT PARLEY,
NOTED BRITON SAYS
CONTINUED FROM FACE ONE.


CONTINUED FROM FACE ONE.
said, as the condition Of the COM
mon people in France and America
no less than in Russia and Poland
shows
Democracy as il exists today has
little more to say for itself than that
its hopes and possibilities are in
nnite. whereas the possibilities Ct
OleO6rchy and autoCracy are limited
to such an extent by their funda-
mental economic unsoundness trat
they can hardly be said to hold out
any hopes at all.
But they are not fraudulent eN-
cept when they pretend to be demo-
cratic. and OF this particular fraud
the republics are ten times more
guilty than the monarchies.
Lincoln'S famous formula Of gov
erument OF the people. by the peO-
pie, for the PEOPLE, always was i'm
possible as to its second count: TOR
the people can no more govern than
they can write plays or use the in
linItesmdl calculus.
Even government by consent OF
the governed is impossible 80 long
as people are so uneducated politI-
Caliy that they will not consent 10
be governed at all.
Goal of Democracy.
But government of the people. for
the people is possible and is the goal
of democracy. Now no political sys-
TEN at present existing on earth at
taius that goal. or is even vIsibly
tending toward it.
Mr.. Wilson goes into the Peace Con-
ference with the knowledge that II re-
ordinations begin as to the condition
Of the people the reasona bleness OF
the distribution of the national IN
come. exploitation OF child labor. prey
alence of lynch law. federation Of he
erOdoX or anJi-government opinion
leven under Mr.. Wilson's own ruler.
general level of culture cruelty OF
criminal codes and guarantees for
justice in their demonstration. hon
esty of the police and freedom or
municipal and national politics from
corporation. American republcaniSp
will come out of the comparison with
constitutional monarchy so badly that
it will be difficult for him with any
countenance to take the position of a
moral dictator imposing superior
American political institutions on the
rest of the world
Beef Barous Bad as FcudaI.
Feudal barons are not 80 much
worse than beef baronS. or HOhenzol-
lern and IIapsburg kin@s than TaH-
way and kerosene kings, that he can
offer a substitution of one for the
other as a contribution to the emaa-
cipation of the human race. The most
convincing democratic asset he has
shown is himself: and he may feel
some delicacy about harping on it.
Moreover, what has Just been said
about the formal win -the-war cOali-
ton of Europe is equally true about
the virtual \ win the-war coalition
which stands behind Mr.. Wilson.
Senator Lodge is hardly more OF q
Democrat in foreign affairs than
Lord Curzon; and the latest American
elections have gone Mr.. Lodges way.
President Wilson will need the rare
and mystical force of character that
acts ''on the evidence OF things un-
seem in the face of a very depressing
mass of contrary evidence of things
very glaringly visible.
He has made an enormous impress
sion in Europe as a great man; in
America he seems to be regarded
merely as a figurehead of his political
party. The prophet is not without
honor save in his own country.
"In Class by Himself"
In Europe even his opponents
know he H. in "a class by himself,
and has become The banncr-bearer
Of the reserves of conscience and
honor which the popular spoutings
of VI. Ciemenceuu and Mr. Lloyd
George could not rouse: but some
times n surprised face is seen here
when this - admitted, and IL is al
ways the face of an American. and
quite as likely an American Demo-
crut as an American Republican.
Thus we have the curious spec
'tacIe of an American Statesman GO
ing into European conference with
n tremendous European moral back
ing, and relatively feeble Amcri-
can one.
when he asked for an expression
of American support IL was deIibcr-
ateIy denied to him. He couldn't
ask for an expression of European
support. but IL has been volunteered
to him by every available means.
Europe has earned the same right
once earned to say, "Unser Shakes
pearc.-
All Europe halls him as a God.end