The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-13
The Mystery OF MIR. Tumulty's
UneIsipeSs.

ilized country on earth. Reduced to It's
simplest terms, that source Of world
misery and socid disturbance beyond
measurement, of uncounted and in
computable loss TO the United States
of America. OF the destruction of the
sure foundation for future peace
which was promised in the continu
ance of the existing friendly and CO.
operative relations between the vic
torious Powers, was the personal OBJ
stinacy of President WILSON. He had
assumed without warrant to speak at
Paris under definite instructions from
his Government and people, and he
had told Europe that America de-
manded that the establishment Of the
Covenant of the League of Nations
should precede and not follow the
conclusion OF peace.
! We know how Mr.. WILSON stuck to
this principle of procedure. and with
what dreadful cost to the interests he
was protesting to serve. We know
how proud he was of his trick Of m
terweaving League covenant with
Peace treaty, and how he boosted in
his Metropolitan Opera House speech
Of March 4, 1919, of the certain sue
cess of the sly expedient.
That was Oh March Of last year
Then Mr. WILSON sailed back TO
France on his second outward voyage
on the George Washington; and
few days later Mr.. TAFT, who had
spoken on the League project from
the same platform on March A., began
on March IS through Mr.. TUMULTY
that series Of communications SUI.
costing emendatlons of the text Of the
first draft of the covenant which was
given out day before yesterday by the
President through Governor Cox, and
which is treated by the Democratic
candidate and some Of his journalistic
supporters as If 1t we're new and
vital revelation.
There is nothing new and nothing
politically important in the messages
from ex-President TAFT to President
WILSON suggesting changes in the
draft Of the covenant as it then ex-
listed. Mr.. TAFT suggestions, Judge
rHUsHEs's suggestions, Mr. ELIHU
RooT's suggestions were publicly
known and widely commented on at
the time. They did not change the
situation when the interviewer cove
nant and treaty reached the Senate for
ratification or rejection. and they did
not alter in any respect the plain duty
of American Senator's with regard to
the attempted coercion by interweav-
Ing Nor do they affect in any way
the responsibility or consistency of
the position Of Republicans who, like
Mr.. TAFT and Judge HUGHES and Mr..
WrcKERsHASf, are supporting Senator
HARDING for President and accord
ingly opposing the ell ction Of Gov
ernor Cox to that Office.
We do find in this published CORE
spondence one thing that is new and
somewhat interesting. 1t is contained
in a despatch of March Is, 1919. from
President WILSON in Paris TO Mr..
TUMuLTY in Washington:
You need give yourself no I'M
easiness about my yielding anything
with regard to the embodiment OF the
proposed convention in the treaty.
'WooDRow WILSON"
about It Is that the clnuse is respon-
sive TO naught that is visible in the
last preceding despatch of TUMULTY
10 WILSON, dated March 10. That
communication does not refer to any
uneasiness on the part Of Mr.. TUM-
uLTY, or OF Mr.. TAFT, or OF Judge
HuGHEs or Of Mr. RooT, or OF any
body else, lest Mr.. WILSON should
yield anything with regard TO the
embodiment OF the proposed conven-
ton in the treaty'-that is. permit
treaty and covenant to be united and
considered in proper sequence, peace
! first and League afterward as Sena-
tor KNOX and so many other 4Ameri-
cans we're demanding. If there was
such ON intimation Of uneasiness in
TUMUtTY's despatch OF March 10 it
was edited out by the person who pre-
pared the correspondence for use by
| Governor Cox. and he forgot also 10
edit out Of the Wilson-Tumulty cipher
message of March 1s this singular.
positive and apparently unnecessary
reinsurance.
"You need give yourself no uneasi-
ness about my yielding anything with
regard to the embodiment Of the pro-
posed convention In the treaty. This
to TUMULTY Only fourteen days
earlier MIR WILSON had informed the
entire American public. Including Mr..
TrMu1rY. That he had succeeded In
J embodylng The proposed convention