The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-02-21
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
,pvrirht 1920 bv The Reformc

NJ ~ |-Siit As-J ny i ut DtIOllIltI-
WASHINGTON. Feb. q. Three
days outside Of Washington, talking
with people ii al walks Of life, people
in New York state. Michigan and Iii
nois, has given the writer an idea of
how a cross section of American pub
lie opinion feels about the Wilson-Lan-
sing break. And the odd part of it is
that on my return to Washington, /
End hardly n realization of the as
founding political effect which the cpl
sode has had. The national capital has
so many sensations that it is often cal
loused to cabinet designations and re-
CARDS them as mere furries. It is true
that the editorial expression has been
almost unanimous in condemning the
abrupt dismissal of Secretary Lansing
but even editorials are sometimes
brushed aside in this intensely poEti-
cal year by administration men as an
ephemeral hysteria, bound to pass
sooner or later.
Not so, however, is the Judgment Of
| the average man | encountered in such
places as Binghamton and Syracuse in
| New York state, Detroit, or Chicago,
and on the trains travelling between
! these points. Never in my own expert
ence has it seemed to me that opinion
was so uniform. Democrats and Re
publicans alike disapprove of what the
President has done but the regrettable
and significant fact, however. is not
mere condemnation of what has hap
pened but wonder about what viii hap
| pen. No matter where one went. the
| question that was shot back was, Did
the President : illness have anything
to do with that Lansing letter2'
Try as one might to offset such an
! impression, there isgno doubt that cv-
cry act of President Wilson from this
time on viii be subjected to an embar
lassing scrutiny. The incident has made
lamazing inroads on that intangible vet
all important factor in government
namely, public confidence. Once that i.
forfeited, politicians of the opposite
party seem strengthened and permitted
10 reap the benefits Of the situation
As for morale among the Democrats
| talked with few leaders who ar,
| dyed-in-the-wool Wilson men, the kint
Who VIII defend to the last ditch tn,
President 5 appeal in 1915 for a Dem
ocratic congress and who viii excus,
nearly everything he has ever done il
seven years. But their frame Of min,
on the Lansing episode was one OF
helplessness and bewilderment Theil
attitude was analogous to that Of tn,
hero -worshipping fans who have ad
mired all season long the brilliant PLAY
ing Of a fielder only to see him throw
the telling game in the world series by
dropping the ball in the ninth inning
i, with three men on bases. They hav,
memories Of brilliant past Performance,
, and their chagrin is mingled with dis
appointment of the kecncst sort.
II is curious. indeed. that much o
The feeling is that of pity. People won
der why the President WASH stopped
by someone in the inner circle from
passing out the Lansing letter Peopl
suspect even that the President $ ont
burst ON the Fiumc question is piqu
and temper | find here in Washing
ton a little echo of that Foreign dip
lomats say that fhc effect of the dis
+! mtssal OF Lansing was to create an inn
| preston in Europe that the Presiden
! was suffering from the tedium of
/ long illness and now they believe hi
| threat to withdraw the treaty is par
| and parcel Of the circumstances sur
| rounding his illness. It would b
| tragic if Europe began discounting
: American action because of the indis
: position of the President, real or i'm
aginarv.
: But out of the country. away from
, Washington, there really ism t much in
terest in the Fiume question. 1t is
!