The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-11-18
Woodrow Wilson.
The following is from the Balti-
more Sun of election day:


Today the voters of the United
States will elect a successor to Wood
row Wilson, Whatever the result Of
the election. he will cease to be, after
March next. an active factor in
American politics. From tomorrow
on no further abuse or criticism OF
him will hurt the Democratic party
or help the Republican party.
MIR Wilson is very i'll man. In
the New York Times of Sunday last
were printed statements regarding
his condition from several Of the pro-
leaguers who saw the president at
the white house a few days ago. We
do not think any humane person can
read those statements without being
profoundly moved.
The presidents condition is direct
ly due to his devotion to duty. He
has quite literally spent his life S
blood in the interests Of the Ameri-
can people as he saw them. In their
behalf he cheerfully assumed bur
den greater than he could bear, great
er probably than any man could have
borne.
At bottom the criticisms, even of
those most violently hostile to him,
amount to but this, that he made a
splendid effort to achieve noble pur-
pose-and failed. The last half Of
that statement will not be admitted
by millions of his fellow citizens. They
feel, they know, that he has not fail
ed, but has been gloriously success
full. But even if he has failed, is
that a justification for abusing him
for the attempt? There are failures
more sublime than successes.
But, say his opponents, it was nee
esary to fight him in order to put
an end to "Wilonism" Perhaps so.
from their standpoint. But it was not
necessary to abuse and malign him.
At anv rate. the time for fighting
; him is over. He is no longer an ac-
tive factor in our politics.
Is it not a matter of mere justice,
a matter of common decency, that
with today should end all these bit
ter attacks on a man who has been
made i'll by faithful work for the peo-
Die. Isn't it appropriate and humane
that from now on his critical fellow
citizens should think more Of wilson
the man and less of Wilson the off,
cial? 1t is one of the astounding IL
Illustrations of the cruelty Of partisan
feeling that the presidents illness
and his sufferings should not have
evoked more, and more sincere. ex-
pressions of sympathy, even from MS
political opponents.
Mr.. Wilson's greatest defect as
politician has been his incapaclty IN
the art of self-advertisement He has
no skill in those little articles OF
which Mr.. Roosevelt was master,
which bring home to the wide public
the essential humanity of men IN the
public eye The limited number OF
men who have come into contact
with him personally rather than OIL
cially-Mr. Grasty, who spent some
weeks with him at the white house,
Mr.. Tumulty, who has been in lntl-
mate association with him since the
days of the New Jersey governorship,
and many others-have indeed, testl-
fed to his personal charm and his
warm human sympathies; but Mr..
Wilson has no capacity to project this
IMPRESSION throughout the country,
as a whole. Newspaper men, at least
who have seen so much of the efforts
of politicians to advertise themselves
will account this quality to him as
virtue. But it has prevented Inn
from becoming known as he is to the
whole people.
Our greatest presidents have been
those who were the most greatly ma
ligned. Washington, Lincoln, Wilson
all of them were made the targets
for the bitterest kind of abuse ana
criticism. 1t is a tribute to thelr
greatness that this should be So
strong men provoke antagonisms. But
hasn't the day for this sort of thing
as concerns Mr.. Wilson passed?
We have been talking from the
standpoint of those who have honest
ly opposed '1r. Wilson's policies. But
there is ---"ther standpoint. To mil
lions Of his countrymen Mr. Wilson
has oeen for the last eight years an
inspiration and an ideal. His ideas
and his policies have made life and