New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-03
Face to Face With the Nev Moses
President Wilson's Leadership Towad the Promised Land Of Peoce-T Home
Cummings Peroraon the Facts Neutral Observer at

able in the White House or even in 4.
Council of Ten and be safe. BIZ. !:h
once stepped down to the intins,
equality of the Four. the game was sr.
IDENTIFY up.
Now it was that what have caGs
his theological or Presbyterian tempe,s.
ment became dangerous. Having d. II
cided that some concessions were u.
avoidable, he might have sought by i'm.
ness and address and the use Of Il. 4
financial power of the United States Il
secure as much as he could Of the Sub
stance, even at some sacrifice Q: ,.s
letter. But the President was not c..
pable of so clear an understanding VIII
himself as this implied He was TOO col.
scientious. Although compromises wsn
now necessary, he remained a man II
principle and the fourteen points a cor.
tract absolutely binding upon him H.l
would do nothing that was not hone,
able; he would do nothing that was no.
just and right; he would do nothing .hsi
was contrary to his great profession Q.
faith. Thus, without any abatems,
of the verbal inspiration of the four.ssi
points, they became a document fN
gloss and Interpretation and for al tn
intellectual apparatus of selfdecepti'r.
by which, l dare say, the Presidents
forefathers had persuaded themselves
chat the course they thought II necss'
sary to take was consistent with ever
syllable of the Pentateuch.
At last the work was finished, and IN
Presidents conscience was still intses
In spite of everything, believe that hi
temperament allowed him to leave Psri
really sincere man; and it is probsns
that to this day he is genuinely COL
WINGED that the treaty contains practical
ly nothing inconsistent with his former
professions.
But the work was too complete, ah'
to this was due the last tragic episode o.
the drama The reply of BrockdoEl
Rantzau inevitably took the line tns
Germany had laid down her arms on III
basis of certain assurances, and that :"
Treaty in many particulars was not COZ
slstent with these assurances. But 'na
was exactly what the President cou'
not admit; in the sweat of solitary COZ
temptation and with prayers 10 God IL
had done nothing that was not Just ss'
right; for the President to admit ina
the German reply had force in Il was "
destroy his self-respect and 10 disfnP.
the inner equipoisc of mis- soul; a.
every instinct of his stubborn na'''
rose in self-protection.
Thus it was that C'emenceau broug.'
to success what had seemed 10 be- 's'
months before, the extraordinary aa'
impossible proposal that tho Gerns''
should not be heard. II only the r'e'.
dent had not been so conscientious
only he had not concealed from nin''-
what he had been doing. even az the -
moment he was in a position to have =
covered lost ground and to have ACHIEVE
some very considerable success s. -
the President was set. His arms 81
legs had been spliced by the surgeons
a certain posture. and they mus
broken again before they could &c .
tered. To his horror Lloyd ueO's'
desiring at the last moment all the NV
Grafton he d,red, discovered tha' ~
could not in five days persuade the wv
dent of error in what it had taken o.,
months to prove to him to be lus' a.
right. After all, il was harder 70 -
bamboozle this old Presbyterian ma" :,
had been to bamboozle him. for the ~
mer involved his belief IN and resp"
for himself.
Thus in the last act the Prss'1'',
stood for stubbornness and reiass'
cancellations.