The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-07-16

President Wilson, At time during the last half CEN
fury has question arisen which compares in importance
with the issue that calls for popular study No other
American can bring to this issue the intimate information
that is possessed by President Wilson He possesses all
the ecret of European government and certainly there
is no detail of American policy which is withheld from
his knowledge
For six months President Wilson sat with the heads
of the British French and Italian governments as well
as with the delegates Of all other comprising
the allied and associated nations With his associates in
the council of four he had to the archives OF the
governments and assisted by hundreds of experts
Of the various countries who instantly made available
the worlds most accurate information on any mOoted
point of history law finance, economics international
intercourse ETC. He began his conferences at Paris with
the equipment of historian and statesman, the chief
executive of this for over six years. in peace
and war He had formulated the principles upon which
the enemy and the allies agreed to suspend hosties and
make peace He was the chief figure in the conference,
and now the chief figure among the worlds statesmen
Aside from the pros and Of the league OF nations
Americans of all parties take pride In the record mad
by President Wilson the representative OF the United
States in the conclave of nations His devotion to his
ideals is admired by who are skeptical OF the
application of these ideals His intensely practical side
was shown in the in which he stood by France
in exacting PREPARATION from Germany and this part of
the treaty is universally approved.
Any one can pick flaws in the treaty-President Will
son was quick say that it is not what any one dele
CATION would have wrtten--but no one can pick flaw
the disinterested and whoehearted manner in which
President Wilson fought for what he believed to be right
No partisanship however bitter honestly deny to
him the credit for many great achievements in the treaty
which are the fruit of his brain and heart They stand
out boldly distinct addition to human happiness
AS to the portion of the treaty that is in controversy
the issue largely in President Wilson's hands in the
test that coming If he wins, the victory will be his
own in peculiar That he expects to win is dem
onstrated by his earnesness and his plans for finish
fight He was always fighter, and he was never better
trained for fight than at present The subject is one
that he knows through and through The motive OF his
fight cannot be attacked The audience is the people of
the United States who supported him as one man all
during the war.
It lis mistake to SUPPOSE that this controversy is
merely between the president and the senate Neither
side could confne the discussion to the senate and its
committee President Wilson has sgnfed his readiness
to discuss the league with senator's either in committee
or in full session He is carrying the fight into the SEN
ate but he is not stopping there He going before the
people, from east to west to grappe with the opposition
wherever it may be- He knows that if the people ap-
prove of what he has sent to the senate the senate will
approve of it, as it should for it we'll the president
must be responsive to the people If the American peo
pie dsapprove of what President Wilson has agreed to
in their behalf as the best method of conducting inter
national relations so as avoid war; he wishes to know
their reason for he believes he cnvnce them that
the method adopted at Paris is the only method avail
able to the world.
The president does not shrink from the ptess logic
that requires the United States to accept the authority
of the league of nations under the covenant He rests
my suggestion of change. He boldly declared, in his
address Thursday the senate that every enlightened
judgment demanded that at whatever cost of ndepend
cnt action" every government should lend itself to the
new purpose He described the league as 'means of
common counsel which all obliged to accept
mon authority whose decisions would be recognized as
decisions which all must respect" He opposes the elm
nation of Article because he does not wish the league
to be debating society Thus he brushes aside the
feeble arguments of of his supporters who sought
to allay opposition by asserting that the league was
merely advisory and that the United States would not be
obliged respect its decisions He the founder of the
league, tells otherwise.
This is the position of fighter, man who believes
with all his heart in the he champions The people
will listen to every word he utersWashington Post