The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-07-11
Your if is the only peacemaker; much vir-
tue in Shakespeare.
GIVE US PLAIN PROSE.

Unless many patent facts and notorious events
with which we have been impressed from time to
time in Paris and elsewhere are the exact opposite
to their appearance, Mr. Wilson's remarks
must be taken purely as poetry. No statesman in
our history has so induiged in what seems to be
the most liberal poetic license ever claimed by an
in discussing actual affairs. Mr. WILSON'S
habit is fixed but he has INDUCED it in this case
to the fullest extent Let quote:
1T This homesicknessI still more softened
by the pride that had in discovering that America
had at last convinced the world of her true char
acter. l was welcome because they had seen with
their own eyes what America had done for the
world They had deemed her selfish. They had
deemed her devoted to material interests. And
they had seen her boys come across the water
with vision more beautiful than which they
conceived when they had entertained dreams OF
liberty and peace"
If the president is about to try to sing the Amer
lean people into dreamland of that sort,
must indeed combat him promptly and vigorously.
We may pass by the remarkable picture which is
here repeated OF the American soldier moving
across the ocean and the batt1efelds of
France in transcendental rapture We think the
average doughboy, God bless him. with his sturdy
feet the habitabe earth would not recognize
or much respect Mr.. Wilson's ecstatic presenta-
ton: They did not walk the streets like anybody
else. do not mean that they walked the streets
self-assertively. They did not" And Mr.. Wilson
proceeds:
.'They walked the streets as if they knew that
they belonged wherever free men lived that they
were welcome in the great republic OF France and
were comrades with the other armies that had
helped to win the great battle and TO show the
great sacrifice Because it Is wonderful thing
for this nation, hitherto isolated from the large
affairs of the world, to win only the universal
confidence of the people Of the world but their
universal affections"
OF the splendid quality of soldiers there can
be question. They performed great task in a
way to thrill and win proud devotion but
really it the American people at this time
very i'll to give them an impression that all the
world sees the American soldier as one marching
IN vison-NIr. Wilson's Partially for visions
sometimes seems ominous-or the American peo-
pie as unselfish, without material interests
Mr.. Wilson's speech may be merely a bit of
homecoming sentiment, an emotional vent natural
enough in the circums ances. But if it is a fore
taste of what the average calls hoakum or
in more emphatic mood, blah, to charm the public
into accepting the league covenant without change
Mr. Wilson is getting out of the field of any poetic
license and doing evil thing in politics
Chicago Tribune.
All true!
We hope that the president in his "swil
.ound the circle" will in his discussion of +
ague of nations sections and the treaty in ge
al talk plain prose. The people desire less
,fense of the motive and hope inspiring t
eaty but direct statement in answer to +
legations of its critics as to dangers involv
treaty ratification. Does the treaty obligs
, to go to war on the decision of nine plenir
ntiaries, not one of whom is directly elect
or responsible to our people? Senator Dor
.ys it does. If it can be shown he is wro1
len much of his opposition loses it's force