The sun., 1919-03-09
THE REJECTED LEADER.
Under Parliamentary Government Mr..
Wilson Could Not Go TO Paris.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN---Sir: The
news from London indicates that the
British public, and perhaps also the
French and Italian public, are amazed
! after what the President has said TO
them Of his authority to negotiate a
league OF nations that the Senate has
tvrned down the particular one brought
| homo by him. Were they to reflect a
moment their amazement would turn in
some other direction.
\ Suppose the electorate in the recent
British elections had turned down Mr..
Lloyd George and his associates, would
Mr. Lloyd George have been at Paris
tho representative OF Great Britain
Suppose the French Chamber OF Depu-
ties on it's recent vote of confidence had
turned down Clemenceau, would Glenn
enceau have been In the Peace Confer
ence as the representative Of France7
Suppose the italian House of Deputies
had turned down Orlando. would Or
lsndo have been at Paris?
None OF these men would have been
at Paris at ALL The representatives
OF Great Britain, France and Italy at
Paris would have been men represen-
tativs Of the new will of the electorate
behind public officials That Is the
kernel OF parliame ntary government,
and that Ia exactly what would have
happened with respect to the represent
tatfves OF the United States were our
Government \ pure parliamentary gov
eminent.
But although the Presidency with us
e. hran 30 AhA
nnent. our Congress under the Constitu-
ton represents the immediate will of tho
people Mr.. Wilson recognized this just
prior to the November election. for he
specifically appealed to the electorate TO
choose Congress that would accept his
leadership! On the contrary the cleo
torate by n popular majority of nearly
100000 votes, resulting in a complete
overturn OF Mr.. Wilson's majorites in
both houses OF Congress, refused to ac-
cept that leadership.
That still left him under our Consti-
tuition with constitutional power TO ini-
tfate treaties with foreign nations. but
with no power to conclude them without
the advice and consent Of the Senate
But though the constitutional power to
initiate remained. tho moral power to
initiate treaties without taking into ac-
count what the electorate had Just said
did not remain. The electorate gave
him a Senate that It expected to take
part in the making of treaties Who,
aside from Mr.. Wilson and his peculiar
temperament could have overlooked
this?\
But in the face OF this adverse vote
of the electorate the President went to
the Peace Conference as If the vote had
been one in his favor. Standing upon the
bare legal fact that his OWL. term OF Office
under the Constitution continued. he I'M
dertook to exercise the authority that
In any other form of democracy would
have belonged to another. Constitution
ally this was not usurpaton; morally
It was.
Let Britain, France and Italy under
stand this. the fact that his moral au-
thority even TO initiate treaties without
consultation with the Senate has been
Withdrawn. and they will have clearer
understanding OF why the Senate gives
notice to them now that tho proposed
League Of Nations has not received its
sanction. Nor will the United States
stand Inundated" by showing that It
is still in substance. IL not in form. a
democracy. with whose expressed will
al the polls no man can run away merely
because he is its legal custodian.
The President seems totally to forget
that in his office as President he is a,
trustee only and not the whole thing.
New YORK, March 8. JUpEx.