Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-09
FINDS PEOPLE
HAVE DECIDED
AS TO TREATY
Show Wilson Support But
are More Interested in
Home Affairs.
BY David LAWRENCE.

BY David LAWRENCE.
Copyright 1919 by The Argus.)
EnrOute to st. Paul, Mimi, Sept. 9
President Wilson did not make
much of an impression at Omaha.
His audience was interested and
occasionally enthusiastic but much
of Mr.. Wilson's argument went over
their heads. The street crowds
showed surprising apathy. 1t
seemed more like Columbus, Ohio.
than any other place visited. Little
of the rip-roaring enthusiasm of
Des Moines or st. Louis or Kansas
City came out to the multitudes
who lined the streets awe-struck,
or sat respectfully attentive in the
big auditorium.
After the meeting, talked with
several influential Republicans and
some Democrats, and the con-
census of opinion was that Mr..
Wilson had not advanced much
that was new or soul-stirring.
Omaha had been reading preceding
speeches of the president and
whether the groundwork of his ar
gument was not already familiar to
them through the newspapers.
They said perhaps that has some
thing to do with it But they just
couldn't tell why Mr.. Wilson, who
really set the town going in a
frenzy of enthusiasm when he was
a candidate in 1912 and again
when he visited Omaha on his pre-
paredness tour in February, 1916,
didn't arouse the same fervor this
time. One editor whose newspaper
admires Mr.. Wilson and who is
himself a supporter of the League
of Nations was of the opinion that
the presidents subject didn't inter
est the people very much and that
try as Mr.. Wilson might to make
them think a world crisis was on
they believed the war ended last
November and that the processes of
unscrambling in Europe would in
due course rehabilitate the conti-
nent He saw everywhere a disin-
clination to analyze the treaty, but
an impatience to get it out Of the
way.
Blame the Senate.
Practically the same viewpoint
of the impatience Of the people was
given by some leading Republicans.
They couldn't understand the SEN
ate's procrastination. Were with
Wilson on this issue but mind you
we're not with Wilson-and if he
runs again he won't get Demo-
cratic support either" was the way
they expressed it.
Again and again an undertone Of
political apprehension is encoun-
tered among Republicans who hest
tate to endorse Mr.. Wilson's jour
ney or lend themselves to the pro-
cesseS of persuasion which would
help get the treaty ratified because
they somehow believe he may shat
ter a precedent and run for a third
term. Those who think the
league issue will be out of the way
in a few months go ahead in con-
fident support of the league, feel
ing that they will have plenty of
time to show their communities
that they have not swallowed Will
sonism hook, bait and sinker, just
because they want to see the
League of Nations established.
1 was told by a Democrat of ma
tional prominence in Iowa that
most of the Republicans who voted
for Mr.. Wilson in 1916 had gone
back to the fold and that mistakes
in Washington had turned away
some staunch Democrats.
Received by Republicans.
1t is true that Republicans pre-
dominate on the reception commit
tees as Mr.. Wilson moves west
ward and he helps to relieve those
individuals of future embarrass-
ment by stressing his own political
disinterestedness and non-partisan
viewpoint toward the League is
sue. But it is clear that the League
of Nations in Iowa and Nebraska is
getting wholesome support from
Republicans in spite of the presi-
dent rather than because of him.
Many men told me they thought it
undignified of the president to char
acterize senators as contemplate
cutters" Not that some of the
men who have been lambasting Mr..
Wilson didn't deserve such epithets
in return for the unkind things and
ugly imputations which they have
been thrusting at him, but some
how they do not expect the presi-
dent to descend to the level of his
extreme opponents.
On the other hand. put up or
shut up" gets a big hand every
where and the hit-em-hard kind of
speech makes a favorable impress
sion with the crowds who are i'm