The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-14
On "wabbling and WigglIng."

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Our esteemed neighbor the World
has been showing symptoms of some
thing not very different from distress
over HERBERT HoovER's present atti-
tude toward President WILSON'S Ad-
ministratlon and his League Of Ma
tons. The World comes about as near
to rebuking Mr.. HOOVER for a change
Of opinion regarding the League bust
ness as a newspaper can come deco
rously in the case of one who was so
recently its preferred candidate for
President no matter on which ticket.
But If Mr.. HOOVER has changed his
opinion about Mr.. WILSON'S covenant
and Mr.. WILSON'S Article Y. and the
possibilities of establishing the United
States as national subordinate in
system Of international supergovern-
ment, has Mr.. HOOVER changed opln-
ion more eonspicuously or more radi-
cally, from wrong to right, than an
overwhelming majority of his fellow
citizens who were at first misled by
the specious generalities of Mr.. Will
SONS presentation of the subject?
Has not Mr.. HOOVER done precisely
what two-thirds or three-quarters or
at the venture of guess-nine-
tenths Of the Worlds own readers
have done since American common
sense and American patriotism and
American understanding of constltu-
tional requirements began to tear
away the wrappings of the original
package?
Nothing in controversial history is
more impressive than this steadily
and majestically progressive change
of American opinion during the past
year or year and half; let us say,
since the formulation and signature
of the memorable document which
Governor Cox chooses to describe as
Senator LODGES infamous round
robin" And this despite the Worlds
valorous efforts to induce the Amer
lean people to continue to view the
covenant through its eyes and the
eyes of President WILSON.
1t may possibly occur to our neigh
Dor that men of intelligence and sin
cerity like Mr.. HOOVER can find py:ece-
dents for change of opinion about
the League of Nations.
Who was 1t, for example, that told
the American people they must remain
neutral In thought as in deed?
Who was 1t that declared there
must be a peace without victory?
Who was 1t that told Europe we
were too proud to fight?
Who was it that put the Freedom
of the Seas at the very front Of his
Fourteen Points or Principles and
then consented to the scrapping of the
Freedom of the Seas in order to get
England's assistance in the incorpora-
ton of his League covenant in the
treaty of peace?
Who was it that declared the great
and solemn principle of self-determi-
nation and then acqulesced In the
abandonment to alien control of the
forty millions of Chinese people in
Shantung province?
who was 1t that insisted on open
covenants openly arrived at, and then
proceeded to negotiate his covenant
in Zimmerman darkness?
Who was 1t that bartered away,
shamelessly and unhesitatingly, at
least seven-fourteenths of that self
proclaimed and sacrosanct code. sur
rendering to this extent the kernel In
order to preserve the shell of prestige
and the outward appearance of per-
sonal achievement?
Who was 1t that told his fellow
countrymen he would abide by their
verdict at the polls In November of
1913, and then decided not to recog-
nize the verdict he himself had in
vlted; who told Europe that he came
with n mandate from America. with
specific instructions as to the erection
Of the League Of Nations which he
dared not disobey, and then came
home to demand. In the name Of
the heart of Europe, Americas assent
to the scheme he had persuaded Eu-
rope TO accept in the name of Amer
ica--an enterprise in which he is still
engaged with the assistance of Cover
nor Cox and our esteemed neighbor?
Who was it?
But life is too short and the day
OF the great and solemn referendum
too near ut hand to prolong the list.
Let not the World be too hard on FER
BERT HOOVER for any change of opinion
It may think 1t discovers in his atti-
tude toward Mr.. WILSON'S covenant.
Again Sarajevo.
The little Bosnian capital of Sara