The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-10-01

Ever since the arnistice was sign ed on November Il, 1918, many Sen { ators in this Chamber have seen fit on innurn era bIe occasions to criticize ! and abuse the President of the Uni ted States for his conduct of the war and his terms of peace. Sometimes ! criticisms have been made for which there was some foundation, but more i often criticism and abuse have been l hurled at him and his policies with out rhyme or reason, and without re- gard to facts. The remarks to which we have just listened are an illustra- ton in point. Before the arnisuce, when we were fighting, as these very gentlemen. admitted, for vic torious war and an enduring peace, everything the President did or said was exactly right-the fl points, the League of Nations, a dictated peace, and all the rest. But when the arm istice was signed guaranteeing com pIete surrender by Germany and her allies, and a victorious war won oy the United States and her allies, his political enemies immediately chang ed front, and an election being seen in the distance, in all their plans politics superseded patriotism. They knew, of course. that the chief hon or of winning the war would natur- ally fall to President Wilson, and immediately upon the realization Of that fact every one of those who dur ing the war had claimed to be his friends but who were not, who claim ed to be for his policies but who were not, began their tirade of abuse and vil1tfca ton, and their machine tions to prevent his getting credit for winning the war or for securing peace. Immediately, in their eyes, nothing that he had ever done or ever would do was or could be right He was not only wrong when they said he was wrong, but he was wrong even when they. during the war, for their own political reasons, had said he was right.
 AppIauded Wilson During War
 During the war, when Wilson de- nanded a dictated peace, they ap- plauded the utterance as the person1- fication of American patriotism When Wilson secured a dictated peace, immediately they turned and said it was too harsh on Germany. During the war they all claimed they wanted an enduring peace and a league to guarantee 1t. Wilson se- cured this, and trnn ediately it was all wrong During the war they want ed an ending of it that would prt- mariIy be satisfactory to the two great English-speaking countries. After the armistic and after Wilson had obtained what they asked in this respect they found that this was just what they did not wanA-England ought not to have anything to do with the treaty or league.
 During the war they always de- manded that France should have every protection. At the peace table Wilson gave France every protection. Immediately they changed their minds and wanted no entangltng d. dances with France. During the war they demanded that the five great allies should always act in concert. Wilson secured this demand, and m mediately they changed their minds and wanted to substitute China for Japan. though China had had prac- tically nothing to do with winning the war, and doubtless the most o1 her peopIe hardly knew 1t was won During the war and even when the peace conference was assembled they constantly urged that the United States should in all things act IT concert with her allies. Wilson die this and now they have repud1atee and deserted our allies. During the war. either publicly or privately, they
 
 going into the war as they believed they should. After the war was over and an election in sight, they have had nothing but praise for the Ir1sf and condemnation for the Eng1sh The Irish have more votes in th1 country than the English. Those o us who genuinely sympathize witt and favor the Irish must not be mls led by this change of front. Man, of these gentlemen are not now an never have been the real friends Ireland. They shout in one breat that America must not meddle in Flu ronean affairs, and in the next breat that Plume must go to Italy. The sho,1t in one breath that Americ ro,,st isolate herself, and in the nex that it will be a crime if Amer1c does not in this treaty restore Shan tung to China
 During the war, when Wilson gay ont his 14 points they praised the1 all, When Wilson secured thelr en actment into 8 treaty they lrnneol ately said they were all wrong' an Then blamed him for not getting a of them into the treaty. The con c1usion is inevitable from all thes charrAs in position that if they wer sincere in their views toward tn Presidents politicies during the wa they are not sincere now. If the are sincere now, they were not sir cere in their pledges of patr1otlsl then. They can take either horn their dilemma
 \ That President Wilson has mad &nany mistakes can not be success fully controverted. No man who doe not make them ever gets very ia That he has accomplished some the greatest things that have eve been accomplished by any Preslder Is just as undeniable. Under thes Circumstances ought we not all to fair to him?
 Take the case of his celebrated 1 points. These applied only to th settlement of the war with German, am not going to discuss those l points, but I am going to submit 1 his opponents in the Senate and the country his IA other America points and challenge these opponen to controvert them. I have arrange kaaese fl points in a very simple wa,