The sun., 1919-09-19
WILSON EVASIVE ON
LEAGUE QUESTIONS



"a asserted that pro-Germanism 10 70
same for much Of the opposition TO his
n, He came before an audisnce Of
,us,ness men at the Palace Hotel this
.nsrnoon and apologised for Shantung
!. the ground that the Republican Ad-
illustration Of 1898 condoned robbery
.rhsn II did not have to do so and that
" condoned It because he had to do so.
~ smploy a word that Mr.. Wilson loves
much as "tragical," the word heart"
~, ,s the heart Of his talk to California.
# hasn't got over" He leaves San
rrancisco without answering the ques-
.,ars San Franciscans wanted an
.wsred He tells them that the United
e,ates cannot help China without going
- var with Japan, Great Britain and
france. but he doesn't explain how the
league of Nations can detach japan
trom Shantung without making It war
latter. He has avoided mentioning
corea He hasn't said a word about
,rsndatories. Nowhere has he left such
an unsatisfed people as he took leave
Of to-night.
hut II must be a league with reserva-
lions, or a covenant amended to protect
America. Anybody who doubts that
must be deaf or thoroughly Wllsonized.
The whole point of view Is expressed by
Grant Conard, a former Mayor Of San
Diego. where Mr.. Wilson appears to-
morrow:
siThe people out here are for the
treaty with reservations. They look
mon the league as a contract to insure
he NJ
: contract must be defined so clearly
thst there can be no qulbbling by inter-
ested parties in the future. California
thinks she knows the names Of an in
tsrested party or two that would take
every advantage Of obscure meanings In
me covenant. Why can't the treaty be
amended? We want a league. but we
don't want Americas hands and feet
tied. The country demands compromise
and speedy settlement"
American Rights First.
No one person has better expressed
the public feeling. California stands for
A middle course that will preserve Amer
ican rights and will at the same time
make a great peace experiment possible.
The correspondent Of THE SUN has got
the opinions OF more than fifty people
rich and poor. laborer and merchant.
native and foreign born-and all except
half a dozen are for reservations or
amendments They simply will not fol-
low Mr.. Wilson In his attitude of making
II a matter Of personal pride to beat
down Senate opposition
There is a side to California opinion
which liz diverting. Senator Johnson's
popularity Is probably greater than ever
before, greater even than three years
ago when he carried the State by 100000
when Mr.. Hughes lost 1t by 5000. Peo-
pie out here are so eager to see Hiram
Johnson as the States candidate for
President that they want the League Of
Nations controversy quickly out OF the
way to give them a chance to get down
to good old fashionta politics: 50 they
can whoop It up for Hiram. Lots of
Democrats are backing him and he has
the old, conservative section of the @.
o. P. lined UP behind him. Nothing he
does seems to hurt his personal popu-
larity.
Tonight at Oakland before 1900 per-
sons and this afternoon In this city at
the luncheon rendered him by the Asso-
ciated Business Clubs, before 500 busi-
ness men. Mr.. Wilson emphasized an
appeal calculated to reach business in
terest. He said that domestic problems
cannot possibly be taken up until tile
peace OF the world is settled by such
covenants az. can be depended upon.
MOT a single domestic problem can be
worked out until the treaty is ratified"
he said, and with this he combined a
prediction of trade exclusion calculated
to disturb He has sought to instfll in
the minds of the people the notion that
the Senator's opposing him are opposing
world peace.
He limited that a financial panic might
ensue If the league doesn't go through
as he demands it must. and he added:
"You don't know now what II Is safe
to do with your money-you won't know
Ill We have got peace"