The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1919-03-04
Mr.. WILSON'S TRIUMPH


President decision to absent him
self from the country in these days
OF domestic need and urgency, and
the Times was one Of those who re-
GREETED it, will not only cherfully
admit the greatness Of his achieve
ments at the Paris Conference, but
will rejoice in their recognition Of
his now amply demonstrated fitness
for the work he undertook. Mr.
Wilson's presence at the conference
has not been a cause Of discord or
of jealousy; it has not been resent
ed. 1t was seen from the beginning
that he went there not to dominate,
as his critics said, but to unite the
nations. He has been marvelously
successful in bringing into agree
ment men who represented interests
that seemed to be conflicting. His
influence in this work has prevailed
because all other nations represent
ed looked upon him as wise and
impartial friend, interested only in
making justice and the welfare of
peoples the basis of the decisions
reached. His triumph in securing
unanimous approval Of the league
Of nations constitution is one in
which every American may take
pride.
Mr.. Wilson has a dreadful way
with his critics. He does not reply
to them, he does worse. They rail
at him as an idealist, visionary, a
man without practical detectives, or
if he have them, that they are i'm
possible of acceptance; and they
obligingly point out the things he
ought to do. Mr.. Wilson calmly
continues his great labors, and pre-
sently lays his critics flat and leaves
them helpless either by doing the
very things they had proposed, and
doing in a manner better than they
ever dreamed of, or else by attain
ing his ends in a way that robs their
objections Of every point. We are
confident that Mr.. Beck, for in
stance, must regret the violence Of
the language he used in his Lincoln's
Day speech when he said that Mr..
Wilson's foreign policy throughout
''has been a black stain of dishonor
up on the American people;" that
''his principles have been a crazy
patchwork of contradictions" con-
sistent only in one idea, that the
war "must end in a peace without
victory" If this be just criticism,
then Mr.. Wilson has as his accom-
plices in dishonoring the American
people, in constructing "his crazy
patchwork of contradictions" and
in bringing the war to an end with
out victory, some fourteen nations
Of the earth, including the greatest
civilized nations. Such criticism re-
coils disastrously upon him who ut
tiers it. Not even the natural desire
of a great political party to find or
create tissues" for the coming presi-
Dental election can give lodgment in
the minds and hearts of the people
to this estimate of Mr.. Wilson's dis
tinguished service.
The day when the project of the
covenant of peace was approved un-
animously in Paris was one of the
greatest in the worlds history. The
people of all the nations understand
that; the people of America, with
their horror of war, cannot be fool
ed about it, they cannot be misled
into any small and narrow view OF
it's momentous promise. In bringing
the plan of the league into accept
ance, Mr.. Wilson has played mas
ter role, every American feels that
in his heart, every American under
stands that he brought great abili-
ties, extraordinary qualities of tact
and persuasion, and a profound un-
derstanding of the need of all the
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