The Washington herald., 1919-03-09

Those who at heart oppose the whole
scheme pay enthusiastic tribute to
the league, but by Withholding pow
ers they would make it sublimated
terrestrial sewing circle. They in
clude II. Clemenceau and Signor Or
| lando.
On which side do the American
people line up? Theirs is the cast
ing vote. America and England can
force through a real league of ma
tions. IL they stand together. but
President Wilson is beaten man
on this issue IL the Senate and peo-
pie do not back him. and he knows
1t. II American support is with
drawn England backs out at once
and the whole scheme flies on into
| limbo.
And So we reach the most extra
ordinary political paradox that has
ever existed in the world. One man,
an American, by sheer force of char
acter or blufr or call II what you
will, forces through to final success
the most ambitious and radical
scheme of government that ever en-
| tered the human mind. gets 1t ac-
cepted by the world-subject to one
proviso-whether the people who
put that man in his job are willing
to endorse what he has done. And
those people, the American people,
are the only free people in the world
who are in any degree likely to re-
pudiate what has been accomplished,
| and so bring their own President hur-
tling down from the loftiest pinnacle
! ever scaled by mortal statesman.
The first great riddle of Paris, then.
! is What Is the American policy OF
, the American delegates?" Woodrow
Wilson sat silent when challenged TO
| speak. And IL he doesn't know the
answer, who does?
b Sacrifices Necessary.
Wilson summoned the nations to
form a league. All nations. he told
| them, would have to make sacrifices.
England has led the way, making
the offering, CALLING and bitter to her
dominions, of unquestioned territorial
! sovereignty over the conquered colo
nies, Italy and France. with many
| a wry face, have agreed, subject
| to binding promises OF American and
British aid in a new war, to forego
certain strategic guarantees that are
most dear to their hearts. These
countries have thought about the
! league; they have made their sac
| rfices. What about America? What
is she prepared to sacrifice?
What the United States must sac
| rifice. il the league is not to be still
| born, is her right to decide whether
or not to make war. to determine
whether to keep her soldiers and
ships at home or abroad. America
must agree to accept the decision or
fa1f To- all 9
Frenchmen and Britons as to whether
her doughboys shall bleed again on
| foreign fields. 1t will be a CALLING
and bitter sacrifice; the world waits
the answer; but half the Americans in
Paris are unaware that the problem
exists or that the answer must be
, given. Yes or no; there is no middle
ground. And. unless the Americans
at home are more wideawake than the
large section OF them in France. they
have hardly started to make up their
minds.
The argument why America should
come into the league is simple. she
| is the one great power that every
| body trusts to play fair. because her
interests conflict with those of no.
| country in the same degree as OBJ
tains between the other great nations.
II she stands aloof. reserving to her
self the full national sovereignty she
has always enjoyed, the scheme
| comes crashing down and the world
reyerts to the old system of alliances
and the balance OF power with re-
sulting competitive armaments.
On the other hand. opponents of
full American participation say, the
/ American people will never stand for
control in matters OF peace or war
by any foreign body of men. however
cosmic. Nor will they agree to be-
come "mandatories" over moot places
| like Constantinople, Mesopotamia-
East Africa, offered to America be-
cause the European powers are too
| Jealous of each other for one of them
! to take possession even as a simple
| mandatory" Nor, 1t is whispered in
not a few quarters. will the American
people pull England's chestnuts out
of the fire by relieving Britain OF the
expense and anxiety of administering
countries which must be controlled
by England-or by her good friend.
America-in order to protect the road
| to India from hostile plots
/ This riddle of the United States pol
Icy on the league of nations is the
! first big question whose answer no
body can give until that sphinx, the
American people, opens it mouth. The
second important moot point as yet
| entirely unsolved is What is Amer
ica's policy on the freedom of the
seas?"
OF the Presidents fourteen pornss
the allies accepted before the armis-
tice thirteen, and reserved their COM
ment on the freedom of the seas, at
the instance of Britain Since then
thousand contradictory reports
have flown around Paris; Wilson
was in complete accord with Lloyd
George on the subject; the Amer
leans and rBitish could never agree
| and the Americans are building
the greatest fleet ever heard of
against England; France and Italy
had agreed to support England on the
seas issue in return for British sup
I, port against America for their respec-
tive claims to the left bank of the
Rhine and Dalmatia: Wilson had lined
up France, Italy and Japan squarely
against the sea pretensions of Brit
ain, who remains standing in splen-
did Isolation And so forth.
| While protesting complete ignorance
| on the outcome Of the league of ma
tons debate am able to clear the air
| little about the freedom Of the seas.
The United States will bring in no
proposal for reduction in the naval
armament of Great Britain; President
Wilson now believes that this prob
| lem will settle itself, IL the league
! works. through the taxpayer of Great
Britain and other countries refusing
| to meet the huge bills for the con-