New-York tribune., 1919-03-06
Futile Anger


be readily understood. He is fully aware
of the significance Of the notice which
the Senate has openly served upon him.
Any dream of omnipotence, any
thought that he reigned alone, with a
power exceeding that of the Kaiser, and
that his role is not to cooperate and to
consult, but to command, has been rudely
broken. He is under no illusion as he
returns to Paris. His boastful implica-
ton that he is the only one who knows
the thought of America is hollow, pa
thetically so. 1t may please him to con-
tinue to call out, as a new Mahomet,
Allah is Allah and I am the prophet of
Allah," but the words lack authority.
Neither the Senate nor the people are
willing to be ordered about as if chill
dren to whom it is unnecessary to ex-
plain.
But one might think the President
would have been at more pains to con-
ceal his smart. The occasion was too
great to be met by trivialities. 1t sum
moned him, if he bore true allegiance to
a great cause to rise to the dignity of his
theme. The country waited for him to give
an understandable explanation, to answer
definite criticisms. Public opinion is in
a formative state. Everywhere was
desire to hear with open minds the Pres
dents side His response was nothing
He said it is not necessary for me to
discuss in any particular way the con-
tents of the document Mr.. Taft, his
cospeaker, had respect enough for the
Jury he addressed to make an argument
The President did not show similar re-
spect He oracularly announced bare
conclusions
The President saw fit to devote large
part of his discourse to abuse of those
who see no promise of permanent peace
IN the covenant H accused them of
narrowness, said they did not feel the
great pulse Of the heart of the world,
denounced them as without vision. A
strange charge against men who for
nearly three years wearily labored to
make the President "see the war;" to pre-
vent the next war being on this side of
the water. A strange charge from lips
which said that the war and its issues
did not concern US, that no one knew
what the war was about, and that the
peace should be one without victory. Is
man but recently stone-blind q good
Judge Of the vision power of others?
When Senators Lodge and Knox and the
lost Roosevelt were holding up the ban
ner OF Americas duty to Worldwide
democracy the President was campaign-
ing for reelection on the issue, "He kent
us out Of war" One would think the
President, Of all men, should be charv
about reproaching others for inability to
see.
The old and exploded false assumption
that the covenant embodies the onlv DOS
sible peace plan was re-paraded. Does it
need to be stated again that the main
objection to the league is that it imposes
wide-reaching responsibilities without
giving anything like assurance of peace? ?
IL peace is to be it must be maintained
by power capable of maintaining It. In
some form must continue tho alliance
now In existence and wholesomelv func-
tioning.
Such coalition the President, for un-
explained reasons, vii not agree to.
though Clemenceau and Orlando beg for
it and Lloyd George is friendly. He will
have no entente, though the hone OF
permanent peace Is little stronger than
the hope Of keeping the present five
nation alliance intact. The net effect Of
the campaign OF the covenant thus far
has not been to bring the five nations
closer together, but to drive them apart,
and thus 1T fundamentally offends against
the league Of peace idea.
The President has yielded To right rea-
son In times past, and 1t Is likely when
he recovers from anger, he will yield