The sun., 1919-08-23
Looking Backward.

Looking Backward.
"We must not desert our allies. 1t
would break the heart Of the world
II we should reject the covenant, or
amend 1t In any particular, or make
any reservations concerning 1t, or at
tach any interpretations to the docu-
ment itself. 1t would be stain on
the national honor II the Government
Of the United States should attempt
to declare peace in any manner other
than that which has been prescribed
by Mr.. WILSON himself, in his self
assumed function as the sole repre-
sentative of the United States In the
business Of conducting our foreign re-
lations and determining our interna-
tional policies; and also as the self
proclaimed representative of Euro
pean demands concerning our national
duty to Our associates In the war"
We have put the foregoing para
graph between quotation marks merely
in order that 1t may not be regarded.
even by the most obtuse reader, as
an expression of THE SUNS opinion
on the subject. 1t does not report
at least literally and consecutively--
the Presidents own utterances; but
1t does define, partly in exact form
Of words and substantially in spirit
throughout, his present attitude with
regard to ratification and his final
appeal to his fellow countrymen to
yield Americas interests and mort
gage her future independence be-
cause q Europe for which he pre-
tends now to speak requires Of us
that unparalleled sacrifice. A stain
upon the national honor, If the Sen
ate should act otherwise
With all due respect to the office
held by the alleged spokesman of Eu-
ropes claims upon our moral consid-
Grafton in the matter Of the League
Of Nations and its Wilson drawn cove
nant, THE Sun feels itself compelled
to point out the fact that this is hum
bug; a trick of purely personal pro-
motion which Mr.. WILSON has al
ready employed once to the advantage
of his plans for world reorganization,
although on that earlier occasion in
a way exactly the reverse of this.
To speak with entire plainness,
President WILSON put his League and
his covenant through the Conference
at Paris (and Intervene 1t so art
fully with the rest Of the treaty that
he boosted Of his workmanship and
declared separation impossible) solely
by representing himself to the Euro
pean statesmen and peoples as the
spokesman of Americas desire and
demands for the League Of his cove
nant. He traversed England and
France and Italy, declaring every
where and on every occas sion, in effect,
that he had come on the George Wash
ington with a definite mandate from
the great Republic he represented and
that 1t would break the heart of
America If the League were not es-
tablished. We could I'LL several col
umns of this paper IL it were neces-
sary with citations from his cam
paign speeches abroad asserting in un-
qualified manner the representative
character of his mission. This single
extract from his speech to the Con.
ference at its session of January %
win be sufficient, for 1t is typical OF
all his utterances during that period
Of promotion:
you can imagine, gentlemen,
dare say, the sentiments and the
purpose with which Representatives
Of the United States support this
great project for a League Of Ma
lions. We regard It as the keystone
of the whole programme which ex-
+ pressed our purposes and ideals in
this war and which the associated
nations accepted as the basis of the
settlement. II We return to the
United States without having made
every effort in or power to realize
this programme We should return to
meet the merited scorn OF our fellow
citizens. For they are a body that
constitutes a great democracy. They
expect their leaders to speak their
thoughts and no private purpose OF
their own. They expect their repre-
u sentatives TO be their servants. We
Fl have no choice but 10 obey their
4 mandate. But 1t is with the great
est enthusiasm and pleasure that we
accept that mandate; and because
this Is the keystone of the whole
fabric We have pledged our every
purpose to It, as We have to every
itsm Of the fabric. We would not