Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-07-03
RECEPTION FOR THE PRESIDENT

TbGng planned Tor INN upon MS arrival 10 e IOTk. IG WOndeIIW
work accomplished by him during the past six o eight months in
Paris viii rebound with the glory of America more and more as
the years go by. His, indeed, has been an epoch-maklng trip marking
the advent of a new era. 1t will be an era of peace and concord
among men if we of today are big enough to grasp the +tll meaning
of what has been accomplished.
The homecoming of President Wilson is no less meritorious
than the Homecoming of the boys in uniform in whose honor all
kinds Of celebrations have been arranged in all parts Of the country.
Both have achieved a wonderful victory, but neither is complete
without the other.
When President Wilson announced his determination to go to
Paris to attend the peace conference he said he felt it his duty to
go in order to make secure the victory for which so many American
boys had laid down their lives and to see to it that the ideals for
(which they fought were thoroughly established.
One of the favorite phrases in connection with the United States
going into the war was ''to make the world safe for democracy"
But unless there was to be accomplished some sort of a guarantee
shat such a war IS has just ended could not occur again; unless
eutocracy was destroyed and unless sufficient safeguards were
placed SO that the personal ambitions of a single man o r of a few
men could not set the world afame again, the world could not be
safe for democracy. President Wilson, with his inside information
as to what was going on in Europe, knew that unless some powerful
hand was raised against a peace founded on conquest the work that
has been so well done by the soldiers would have to be done all over
again at some future time. To finish the good work of the boys
who wore the uniform, therefore, he went to France, as they did,
and he is now returning, as they are, with the victory.
Another object of the war frequently heard mentioned while
the awful struggle was still ON was that it was to be the last great
war. President Wilson clearly saw that if America could not keep
out of the struggle just ended, as he fervenuy tried to do during
the first few years, she could not keep out of any future wars that
might become so worldwide in its scope. Seeing also the petty
jealousies and racial animosites that constantly crop out in any
dealings between the European nations at the same time understand
ing the powerful influence of the United States in not only throwing
her full power into the fight, but doing so without any Interior
Inotves, but merely to accomplish an1deaL the President we'll knew
-rhar MS d1sinferesred hand and his alone, could guide the deibera-
tions that would follow the actual struggle itself and bring about a
peace that would come somewhere near giving to the world that
for which America fought and for which Europe longed.
No one will ever know, perhaps, what President Wilson had to con-
tend with during those many months in Paris when the greatest
statesmen Of the age, men trained in the old world diplomacy, were
jockeying with one another, each one determined to make the best
settlement possible for his respective country regardless OF the effect
on the rest of the world.
We are all more or less familiar with the claims of the various
countries. England wanted this, France that, and Italy and Japan
had their demands which they held to be paramount, The United
States, oS Ct al Il the yi great h powers w s.e was pIae t Iasin alone nsae IN an51n make Re
government Of the people, by the people and for the people a reality
It was realized from the beginning that some sort of a league
made up of the leading nations would be necessary to accomplish
Of the world looked with hopeful longing. The various attempts to
establish an international court of arbitration at the Hague was
might be abolished forever. The great statesmen of all countries,
a Ssh ln spoae earnestly su : 0P RI favor Of f a - getting Raest toset thegu of t the na tic
in some great international organization In order that disputes might
be settled peacefully and that any nation disposed to quarrel might
be sat upon promptly to compel . submission Of the disputed question
In fact, some form of a league of nations has been the world
dream for centuries but never before has such a covenant been
Of nations that is presented to the world by the present peace con-
ference.
as this has had his own IDEAS about it. Some would have drawn it
h a. f e. g stpe everybody = dVd to th i a diseo on !" su ado' a wo GiSdy1 uid / mat %
Not only would there be differences between statesmen of the
but there undoubtedly would be greater differences between the
representatives of the different nations. To harmonic and combine
all the various ideas and divergent counsels was the work of a super
- PRESIDENT wilson mas proved Io D thaC Superman. lie alone,
we are sure history will show when the account of the peace con-
ference comes to be written, prevented the structure for worldwide
peace that was carefully being built from the falling apart. More
than once when the outlook for agreement between the representa-
tives of the different nations looked hopeless and the leaders of other
nations were ready to drop the whole project and grab everything
within their reach, building up great empires and securing great
colonial possessions regardless of the will of the people living in
the various territories that would have been seized, President Wilson
with that, dominating personality and backed by the great republic
that had made victory possible for the Allies, stepped into the
breach and saved the day.
that the covenant OF the league Of nations is not perfect and that
there are defects in the peace treaty in general But he could not
have everything his w Way. By agreeing to some of the thnoS
he did he may appear to have been inconsistent with words previously
spoken by him, but in playing the great game of diplomacy where
there is so much at stake it is not possible for one man, no matter
how great he may be, to absolutely dictate everything.
One thing is certain, however, had the President had the back
ing at home and especially in the United States senate that he
should have had in a project like this, he would have been able t
homplish a great deal more than he did. No doubt he himself is
me for some of the animosity against him in the senate. He
,RKN re had greater team work had he shown a disposition to
adv cr feyerthdess, with all his shortcomings he has put through
ut to do; he has finished the great work that the boys
Hvonly,- nbegan and carried through. Now he is returning