Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-05
POLITICAL MADNESS NOT
AKIN TO CRAFTSMANSHIP
Bedlsmite Counsels Must Be Rejected by
the Republicans Unless They Seek Dis.
aster TO Their Party and the Nation


calamity. They set forth the objections of
| signing Senators to the draft OF the cove.
nant OF a league OF nations, and demand
| that peace be made with Germany as
| quickly as possible and before any attempt
| to organize n league to prevent future
world wars.
Whatever may have been the purpose
| OF this step II will weaken the hands Of
the American delegates in Paris. There
can be no doubt OF this. Those delegates
have been cooperating TO the best OF their
| ability with their colleagues in discovering
| a mode Of procedure fitted TO the existing
conditions and in finding a base OF agree
ment on which peace can be offered to
Germany. We all regret that they have
not moved more rapidly. We all know that
delay has complicated the problem, and we
all are hoping that peace can be reached
at the earliest possible date.
But the delegates had not been In Paris
long before they discovered that no such
peace treaty as the world wants could be
made effective unless there were created a
body Of nations agreeing 20 enforce It's pro.
visions upon Germany and to protect the
little nations TO be created out OF the
wreckage OF Austria.Hungary and Russia
The body OF delegates is now acting as
the authoritative representatives Of an in.
formal league Of nations. These delegates
have discovered that a formal league is
an essential part OF any effective peace
agreement. and they have acted accord.
ingly by having committee draft the con-
stitution of such an international body.
That document may be defective. It is
still subject to revision. But a covenant of
some kind must be made to supplement the
peace treaty. Whether it becomes part
OF that treaty or not is a matter of detail
which must be left TO the discretion Of the
men on the job.
What the world wants and wants as
soon as possible is a peace treaty backed
by guarantees that its agreements will be
put into effect.
As we have already said, the action of
the Senators who signed the Lodge resolu-
tions will weaken the hands of the Amer.
can delegates.
But who is primarily responsible for the
conditions which called forth the resolu.
tions?
With great regret we are compelled to
| say that the President himself is not
| wholly without blame. lie has attempted
| to exercise autocratic power conferred on
him." as he would say, "by the will OF the
| plain people" From the moment he entered
| the White House Congress was expected
| to obey his will. The Democratic majority
| surrendered it's prerogatives as the con
| trolling group OF a coordinate branch of
| ha Government ba
! decrees issued from the White House.
| Many Democrats who do their own think
| ing have resented in private these assump.
| tons OF the President, and all the Repub-
leans have publicly condemned them.
| Mr.. Wilson made one of the most
| grievous political mistakes in this history
Of the presidency when he called upon the
country last fall to elect a Democratic
| Congress, in order that ne might go to
| the Peace Conference with the Endorsement
| Of the nation. There was behind this appeal
the assumption that the Democratic party
| was conducting the war and that the Dem.
ocratic party must be indorsed. But the
| nation knew that Il was a national war
| II knew that the Democratic party had
hesitated and wabbed on the subject and
l
trick issue that "he had kept us out Of
| war"
The response to the Presidents appeal
was the election of a Republican Congress
| commissioned to prosecute the war with
| greater vjeor. The nation accepted his
| challenge and repudiated his assumption
that it was "A Democratic war. II this
action weakened him he had only himself
to blame.
He was rebuked again when he went
before the Se9ate and urged il to pass the
women suffrage constitutional amendment
10 the constitution. Leaders of his own
party expressed their resentment at what
they called his interference with their
| prerogatives,
Now. the Lodge resolutions are another
rebuke to Mr.. Wilson. He has been quoted
as saying that the league of.nations cove
nant must be accepted or rejected as
il stands. The Senate was not represented
at the Peace Conference, in spite of the
well.known fact that any agreements
which might be reached were consttu
tionaly subject to revision by that body
Mr. Wilson, SO far as known, did not ever
take the Senators of his own party into
his confidence, and when he returned hc
was met by a body of men whose amour
propre had been wounded.
But the blunders OF the President do no
Justify or excuse blunders by other men
The Senators may have just grievance
hut the present world crisis is too grav,
for even the pettiest OF us to go aroun,
| axbihitipR our wounds in a search 10
sympathy
The political blunder Of Mr.. Wilson il
the congressional campaign Is insigniican
In comparison with that made by the Rs
publican Senators who signed the Lodg
resolutions.
The league of nations has not been
7 partisan issue. It's supporters and advC
: Gates have been In all parties. All tn
/ | Republican traditions have been such as I
Justify the confident hope that whateve