The Washington herald., 1919-03-09

acts as the American press would
act, similarly placed. 1t is not
q question of the difference of
peoples, Of higher or lower pa
tional morals. but somewhat a
question of the circumstances in
which the French people find
themselves.
Wilson's Ideal Feared.
England also has her problems;
so has Italy. Each has its needs.
Each fears this splendid ideal of
the American President, whose
country wants nothing but the ul-
innate good of humanity and a
reasonable security for its out
standing credits.
So the American press being ir-
responsible. being no part of the
government, having no subsidies
from the government, proceeds
Ike the ideal Soviet to assume
government functions and to get
away with the assumption. There
is the world turned upside down,
and the Fourth Estate becomes
an actual ,functioning part of
modern government 1t has been
a real part Of the Peace Confer
ence.
Now. all THIS sxifsdity of the
French actual government toward
the Wilson plan for a league of
nations was manifest before the
PRESIDENT announced his plan.
The tmidity was the substance of
he
things not seen. But now that
the Presidents plan is known,
the timidity of all the governments
of Europe is passing The three
plans before the conference, the
plan of Lord Robert Cecil, the
plan of Leon Bourgeois and the
plan of President Wilson have
much in common. and as a mat
ter OF fact given a peace settle
ment to guarantee security and
protection to France, maritime
supremacy to England and a lead
ing place in southern Europe to
Italy, there is no reason why a
league of nations growing out of
the Observation-Disclosures plan
should not be adopted as the best
possible quiet title to the awards
OF the Peace Conference. Europe
in the high places is beginning to
see what Europe in the lower lay
ers has felt from the first day of
the armstice; that war is a
crazy mans game that substitutes
blood-letting for surgical relief.
Much Due to "soviet.,
80 now, before our very eyes,
with publicity letting the world
see the Peace Conference as 1t
works, we may watch the league
or nations gestate. Doubtless it
VIII begin not as a legislature to
ADJUST the economic differences
that cause war, but it will begin
as court OF appeal and arbitra-
uon. However, courts soon broad
en- their scope, become legislative.
and so need executive powers to
enforce their mandates. France
Is haunted by the fear of an in
ternational legislature, but the
Bourgeois plan provides for an in
terratonal court. The Cecil plan
would seem to give the court con-
siderable latent legislative power.
and President Wilson seems to be
In favor of establishing rather
broad trade relations-relations in
food. industries, raw materials
and labor-that will require lesis-
latiye rather than judicial powers
TO make them function. 1t is easy
to see that these international
boards will have no power. They
viii continue in peace to be chiefly
what they were in war-fact- find
ing boards with mere powers of
advice and recommendation. But
granted good will among nations,
and under good will Intelligent
fact-findings plus disinterested ad-
vice have more than plenary
powers. So that, If we start with
an international labor board and
continue, as we must, the Food
Administration and possibly the
Shipping Board, we have all the
organs necessary. however weak
they may be at first, to perform
the first work of genuine league
of nations. All of this we now
see clearly. which only a month
ago before the American newspa-
permen turned Bolshevik We saw
through a glass, darkly. We may
give all due praise to the intelli-
gent courage of these reporters,
and still see that the cause of
their opponents was not wicked
cause backed only by crooked men.
1t was the cause of a frightened
Europe that feared it knew not
what Of American idenrsm ond
now realizes that its fears were
in vain.