New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-05

was going to bs dominated By Germany
alone and ruled on German n1onarchfst rrin-
eiples, or It WAS going TO be- dominated by
q powerful group of free nations, acting in
accord with one another and representing
the fundamental principle of democracy.
that power must be derived from the people
by the process of elections That IS what
have been struggling over for four
years"
1.-The Philadelphia Inquirer" and ~The
St. Louis Post-Dispatch" point out that
it IS the President who is backed by the
masses of the people. THE Post-Dis-
patch" said:
Evidences multiply that the people OF
Europe are firm supporters Of the Wilson
programme and want, not merely a just
peace settlement which will open the door
of opportunity to the people who are strug-
Cling out Of old, medieval conditions into
the family Of free, progressive peoples. but
they want effective guarantees against a
return of the horrors and miseries, the
death and destruction of modern warfare"
While "The Inquirer" said:
"The secret alliance is dangerous The
open organization such as would be a prop
erly constituted league of nations would be
the reverse. We admit that in working out
the scheme for such league there is room
for much divergence OF thought But the
principles cannot be successfully assaiied.
standing for these principles the Pres-
dent has carried the masses of France and
whatever that in this respect at least he
appeals to the masses of the United States.
War must be rendered, if not absolutely
impossible, at least exceedingly difficult to
bring about"
The largest group was of those that
sought to reconcile the apparently con-
f1icting announcements They are well
represented by "The Philadelphia Pub
lie Ledger" "The New York Globe" and
"The New York Evening Post" "The
Public Ledger" said
premier Clemenceau followed the state
ment of his Foreign Minister with a speech
which easily be misread by those who
neglect the human factor-the Clemenceau
qualty-in the equation
4NdVuAdlly SuCI man would nave MS
frank differences with President Wilson and
would refer to him-half humorously-as
having arrived from America with elevated
thoughts Naturally, such { man would
show reluctance to abandon the balance
of-power safeguard, to which he has been
accustomed all his life until the effective
ness of the new league of nations machine
is proved. Naturally, such man-and such
nation as France living on the borders
of still boastful Germany-would cling to
the tested and ever-ready protection of
alliances until the police power of the
league is manifestly established
in all this, the hard bitten Ishmael of
French politics for generation is really
saying no more than we ali say-that it is
easy to agree generalities, but the test
will come when the time for their definite
application arrives.
"Clemenceau may not feel quite safe on
the new ice, whether it be thin or not away
from the ancient buwarks of secret diplo-
macy; but he has accepted the doctrine of
the open peace conference He may not
be willing to let his alliances lapse, but he
is all for trying a league of nations He
is still Cemenceau-h hates hypocrisy
but the public policy of his government
lies within the four corners of the four
teen points"