The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-06
President Talks of Dream
ers and Trade Runners i'm
Vigorous Address.
0UTSPOKEN IN ST. LOUIS
''NOt the Kind of an Ameri-
can l Am,' He Stigma
tiZes Critics.
AROUSES NO ENTHUSIASM
Democrats Alarmed and APP
prehensive as People Ap-
pear Cool to His Plea.
AROUSES NO ENTHUSIASM
By a Stor Correspondent Of TnE srS

By Stdr Correspondent Of TnE srS.
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 5.-President Will
sons intellectuals are. beginning to
whirl off sparks as he travels west
ward trumpeting the League of Ma
tions to a people who appear TO be
thinking about cabbages rather than
kings. His temperature and. temper
have mounted steadily as he passes
through the centres of population. .
Whether the cause be the curious
apathy with which his person and
his selected defence of the league OF
fine passions" have been received in
the Central States, or whether it may
be put down to his own growing un-
derstandlng of the task he faces.
the fact remains that he grows in
creasingly resentful of opposition, In
creaslngly sharp of epithet.
In Columbus, the first day, he was
content to refer to his opponents as
"misrepresenters." In Indianapolis
last night he shouted into the tele-
graph instruments (much more than
into the ears of his immediate audi
ence) a challenge to all amenders
and reservationers to put up or shut
up." And here in st. Louis, on the
second day, at the luncheon rendered
to him by the Chamber of Commerce.
he branded certain gentlemen"--
presumably Senator Lodge, Senator
Knox, Senator Brandegee and all
others of their opinion-as "contemp-
tible quitters."
Audience somewhat shocked.
His mildest terms, indeed, for such
as distrust a treaty without reserva-
tons was ''dreamers" and trade
runners, land not "the kind of Ameri.
can l am And he was at great
pains to inform his audience by
violent Inference that he was no
dreamer, that he was a trade builder
and protector and that he was
sample of the straight, old fashioned.
simon pure George Wasbington-Abra.
ham Lincoln brand of American, His
audience of manufacturers, merchants
and bankers seemed TO think that the
contemplate cutters" epithet was
fairly rough stuff. popping from the
cultured Wilsonian vocabulary. and
heads were shaken over it as heads
were shaken in Indianapolis over the
put up or shut up" defiance.
The Presidents argument to-day
came to this: That it was impossi-
BILE to talk senslbly in Washington
about the league because a lot of
troublesome persons surrounded the
whole matter with a mist of words
difficult for even omniscience to pene.
trate, and because these same relics
of a past age keep harping on three
or four more unessential details of
the League of fine passions" such as
Article ", Shantung, Ireland and
withdrawal. rather than on the large.
noble aspects of the pact which touch
the heart of the world. This. with
the fiat statement that the league is
sure to prevent war because of the
boycott weapon ready to be employed
against any war planner, is what the
speech at noon to-day boils down to.
Crowds Are UnrespOnsive.
The text of Mr.. Wilson's speech will
not reveal the sharpness and acerblty
of its delivery. It scarcely can show
the flashing eye and the tightened
mouth of "A prophet who keeps run.
ming into one unresponsve crowd
after another And that after all
has been the most interesting fact
of the trip 10 date. 1t has been
more Interesting than anything MI.
Wilson has elected to say or elected
To avoid saying. The only real DIFF
ference between his audiences at
Columbus, indianapolis and st. Louis
and between the street crowds In
these cities is that audiences and
crowds have grown larger as he en-.
tered larger centres OF population.
When the President entered Con-
vention Hall at $3.50 p. NJ for his
second speech in St. Louis there was
a blast OF cheering which very Oh
Siousiy delighted MN. !, ucipcd MIN
endure the fearful heat Of an audi
tOrium used only by Democrats for
national conventions
Gov. Gardner introduced the Pres
ident, offering the thought that Wood
row Wilson would be acclaimed by
history as the father OF world democ-
racy. and as the President stepped