Evening star., 1919-04-05
PRESIDENT TO HOLD
OUT T0b|TTEREND
FOR HIS POLICIES
Repudiates "MakeshItt'
Agreements for the Four
teen Points.
LOSING AT PARLEY. WILL
"APPEAL TO THE WORLD"
Policy of Secrecy Attributed by
Writer to Have Caused Sen
timent Change.

Writer to Have Caused Sen
timent Change.
By PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
CabIeEram to The Evening Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. 1919.
PARIS, April 81 am at last able
to tear aside the veil of doubts. con-
tradictions and misunderstanding
which for several weeks have OBJ
scured the progress of the peace ne
gotiations.
President Wilson mas repudiated the
makeshift agreements reached by the
commission in his absence and stands
unf1inchingly now, as from the begin
ming. on the fourteen points attacked
at home. attacked in Paris.
Holding to Bitter End.
Keeping his own counsel and taking
no one into his confidence. the Amer
lean President is holding out to the
bitter end for the solutions to which
all the belligerentS primarily agreed
and which he believes essential to the
future security of the world.
All the allies have tried to avoid
these solutions more or less. All
seem to place their national inter-
ests above the general interest
Stands by the Whole.
Mr.. Wilson alone maintains that
the whole is greater than any of its
.Rarts and that no individual states
mans personal career can weigh
has tried in every possible way to
work with the allies and bring about
an agreement.
In strictly European questions
France or Italy. it is with Premier
Lloyd George that NJ. Wilson has
found most viewpoints in common. In
extra-European questions where the
vast British colonial interests are in
volved it is perhaps Premiers Clemen-
ceau and Orlando who adhere closest
to the American view, but in the main
Mr.. Wilson has found himself more
and more isolated in the powerful in
terplay of the conflicting ambitions of
the European allies.
Crisis Approaches.
The final crisis is approaching.
Probably within a week the peace
conference will either have succeeded
or failed.
1t is understood that Britain, France
and the United States have agreed to
give RUNE 10 tnc JuROSlaVS.
Today the Italians announce that if
the decision is not reversed before
next Tuesday they will withdraw from
the conference.
In the same way it is announced
that II. Clemenceau has threatened to
resign the premiership if France is
not allowed to annex the Sarre basin.
Premier Lloyd George has expressed
himself as greatly concerned over his
standing with his constituency in case
certain promises which he made to
them during the recent elections were
not fulfilled.
Mr.. Wilson's Reply.
To all three allies Mr.. Wilson has
replied:
We stand squareIy and simply on
the principles to which all the bellig-
erents agreed at the time of the ar
mistice. The future of the world is at
stake and we cannot waver there
FROM
No one. ! am informed, realizes
more clearly than Mr.. Wilson the
peril OF this stanch adherence to
principle. His enemies have multi
piled. He has lost ground not only
in America. but in Europe. The pos
sibiitty of failure looms menacingly,
but Mr.. Wilson will stand firm.
Will Appeal to the World.
II within few more days it be-
comes apparent that an agreement on
the basis of the fourteen points is
impossible, he will make a last ap-
peal to the people of the whole world,
telling them the whole dismal story.
1t is a heroic measure. but he will
take it If necessary.
Will even this succeed?
! believe it WILL but it is impossi-
BILE to say with certainty. for there is
not the slightest doubt that the
American President has been losing
his hold on the masses
Reasons for the Change.
What are the reasons for this
change in public sentiment, which,
when Mr.. Wilson first came to Europe,
hailed him almost UNANIMOUSLY as \
savior?
The chief reason, in my opinion is
his secretiveness. He has no conf
dents and let's the evil rumors which
arise run unchecked.
But there is another reason hardly
less important. The Americans whom
Mr.. Wilson left TO represent him when
he returned home were betrayed into
misrepresenting him. and for this mis-
representation he. himself. is bearing
the blame. Until Mr.. Wilson's de-
parture all had gone satisfactorily
from the American point of view
During his absence the work consisted
of negotiations in the commissions II
was in these commissions that serious
trouble began.
Professors VS.. Diplomats. go
The Europeans appointed on the
commissions were chiefly veteran
diplomats, the Americans were chief,
university professors, and the latter
were no match for the former.
VrS of %r;, l.
fourteen points they allowed them
selves to be held into bartering ons