The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-07-24
DEMOCRATIC PAPER ON PRESI
DENTS LACK OF CANDOR.

The roseate picture of perpetual
peace painted by President Wilson in
his public addresses describing world
conditions under the benign influence
Of his league of nations Is in striking
contrast with the view obtained by
senators In private conference with
the president. In addressing the peo-
PIE he would have them believe that
the covenant contains every safeguard
to prevent war and sacrifices no ma
terial national right or prerogative. To
word in the acceptance or rejection
of the league covenant, and who in
sIst upon being shown, the president
admits its defects and that he was
forced to yield on numerous points at
issue in order to make the covenant
acceptable to the peace conference.
The president has thus placed himself
open to the charge of insincerity in
dealing with the public on this ques-
ton that involves the future Of the
nation by endeavoring to force public
sentiment to accept an instrument
which in private he admits is not what
he represents it to be. This attitude
Of the president Is creating suspicious
and doubts in his own party regarding
the wisdom of entering the league of
nations, and which his fine phrases are
fast losing their potency to overcome.
Significant in this respect Is a recent
editorial in the Lewiston Tribune, the
best edited and by far the most influ-
entail democratic paper in Idaho. Dis
cussing the disposition Of the presi-
dent to double cross" the people, the
Tribune says.
1T appears, however, that in
private conversations with senat-
ors the president is more frank
than he is with the public con-
corning results of the Paris nego-
tiations. To the public he asserts
that the peace treaty and the lea
que are immaculate and, indeed,
heaven born. To the senators he
admits that there are disappoint-
ments and imperfections and that
in at least one essential respect
the decision was taken over his
protest. The Shantung explana-
ton Is even more uncandid. The
dispatches from Paris, in first
quoting the observation-disclosures at
the time only the American delega-
ton was pecified-announced that
Shantung had been awarded to
Japan for two years only. at the
end of which period it was to be
restored to China. But the peace
treaty made no reservation what
ever, the grant DtlHS uICoIuiliOH-
al, and it was then explained that
Japan had made a separate agree
ment providing for the return as
stated The president yesterday,
however, in his interviews with
senators admitted that Japan had
made no agreement at all, but it
merely was hoped ii would come to
some sort of arrangements with
China.
1T Is transactions like that-and
the record is full of them--which
mar the presidents great name
and weaken his powerful influ-
ence, not alone in localities remote
from the actual scenes of events
but at the seat of the national
government and at the seats of
other governments. The country
can not always know from his
public words what the president
means or where to find him. For
that reason, the public must form
it's judgment on the reasonability
of things and not on the high
promises of a very fallible person
atty"