Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-17

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has been giving his audiences, ap-
piled to things Wilsonian, it mere
ly means admit your mistakes
when you are convinced you are
mistaken. The difficulty that most
critics have As convincing the pres
ident that he is really mistaken,
because persistence has often
proved him right.
But the presidents speeches in
the northwest wherein he appealed
not merely to the rank and file
of the Republican party, to support
their own traditions, but a petition
to the Republican senators who IA
vor the treaty with reservations
which are apologies in themselves
for what may have been said or
done by the president to wound the
feelings of his political opponents.
No Respect For Some.
"I hope" he said at Portland.
you will not construe anything
that 1 say as indicating the least
lack of respect for the men who
are criticising any portion of this
treaty. l must say frankly that
haven't any respect at all for
some of them, but for others, and
for most of them, 1 have reason
to have respect, for 1 have come
into close contact and consultation
with them and they are just as
good Americans as 1 claim to be.
They are just as thoughtful of the
interests of America as 1 try to be
and they are just as intelligent as
anybody who could address his
mind to this thing, and my contest
with them is a contest of interpre-
tation, not of contest of intention.
All 1 have to urge with those men
is that they are looking at this
thing with too critical an eye to
the mere phraseology without re
Numbering the purpose that every
body knows to have been in the
minds of those who framed it, and
that if they go very far in attempt
ing to interpret it by resolutions
of the senate, they may in appear
ance at any rate sufficiently alter
the meaning of the document to
make it necessary to take it back
10 the council BOARD.
Group That viii Decide 1t.
That is the line of argument the
president put up in Oregon, where
Senator McNary, Republican, is
typical example of a senator whose
state overwhelmingly favors the
league. but whose support of res
ervations have not convinced the
people of his constituency that he
has anything but the friendliest
purposes in mind. Mr.. Wilson's
overtures to that group are be
ginning. In the end it is with that
group-composed of Republicans
and Democrats alike-that he will
deal in an effort doubtless to Sc
cure agreement on as few reserv2-
lions as possible and on such res
ervations as will not give America
special exemptions" or put Amer
lea on an exceptional footing"
Such a course Mr.. Wilson fears
might cause other nations to want
special advantages and exemptions
and the whole structure of the
league might then crumble But
unless the program of the mild res
changes it is quite likely that Mr.
Wilson's utterances in Oregon
mean that he is ready to come to
an agreement on interpretations
even if they are embodied in the
ratifying resolution, for clearly
they would not be binding on other
powers if placed elsewhere in a
senate joint resolution or declara-
ton of the executive, as for the
irreconcilables whose object is to
beat the treaty.
California Divided.
The president is today in Cali
fornia, where Hiram Johnson holds
forth. Chester Rowell. progressive
party leader and national commit
teeman, who owns a newspaper in
Fresno, is an intimate friend of
Senator johnson, and supported
the latter staunchly in his last
campaign, but his newspaper ia
vors the league, and he himself is
to preside at the Wilson meeting
at San Francisco. So it may be
inferred that California progress
ives are divided and that Senator
Johnson and President Wilson will
fight their real battle before the.
paOaIa NJ this state