The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-09
SATURDAY. OCTOBER 9, 1920.
Why the WilsOn-Spencer Incident
Is OF Vital Importance.


Convicted of having brought an
accusation of falsehood against n Sen
ator of the United States who had
told the truth about him and his ut
terances, President WILSON rejoins
II am perfectly content to leave 1t TO
the voters Of Missouri to determine
With all the respect that is due to
an exalted office. it must be said that
this reply is unworthy of states
man. 1t is unworthy Of :. gentleman.
It is unworthy OF n President of the
United States 1t is worthy only of
foolish ostrich who believes that
he resolves difficult situation when
he shuts his eyes tight and pushes his
head into the sand.
Even our esteemed contemporary
the Times rebukes President WILSON
for the evasive course he has chosen.
1t says that he evidently spoke with
out consideration" 1t says that he
ought TO give the voters of Missouri
an opportunity to know the facts. Il
suggests that sit would probably be
possible for the President to procure
by cable transcript of the report Of
the paragraph upon which this con-
troversy turns" The Times goes fur
Their in its benevolent attempt to ex-
tricate Mr.. WILSON'S head from its
present refuge In the sand, and pro-
poses to him an Ingenious If sophistl
cal, line of defence based apparently
on the theory that the gravamen Of
the charge is that when he promised
Mr.. DRATIANo and DR.. TRUMBlTCH
than an American army and an Amer
lean feet should be sent across the
ocean to the aid of Rumania or Serbia
in certain contingency he promised
to dispatch armed forces on his own
authority. as If he were an autocrat
or military dictator.
But that is by no means the grava-
men of the charge. The distinction
which our neighbor seeks to make
pledge of military support, manlfcstly
improper. and a pledge of military
action by the Government which Mr..
WILSON assumed to representa-
pledge which in the latter case the
Times thinks twas unobjectionable
and will be criticised only by those
who are willing to misrepresent his
meanings quite immaterial here
and wholly apart from the question
at issue.
It makes precious little difference
whether the promise TO Rumania and
Serbia was understood by Premier
BRATIANo and DIR. TRUMBITcH as a
pledge to be redeemed personally by
the uncontrolled Executive action Of
Mr.. WILSON the Individual or as a
pledge to be redeemed in the regular
constitutional way by the Government
\ of the United States for which Mr..
WILSON assumed at Paris to speak.
What the reported text of Mr.. VIII
SONS speech in secret session at Paris
on May 81, 1919, establishes is that
representatives Of these little Powers
to. certain provisions Of the Versailles
Treaty subordinatlng to the League
the national sovereignty OF the little
Powers In regard to their treatment of
political movements within their own
borders, Mr.. WILSON informed them
that 1.-THE guarantees which will be
given to you totu pledge that the
United States icitt send its army aud
fleet across the ocean" In the French
version now published the sense is
precisely the same, although guaranty
appears In the singular and we have
twill mean" instead Of will pledge,
thus: la garantee que vous est don.
nee veut dire que les Etats- Uns
feront passer de ce cote de l'ocean
leur armee ct leur flotte."
Nor Is the Times right in suppos
ing. or assuming, that this mention OF
guarantees to Rumanla and Serbia
was merely n general and rather
academic explanation Of the intent Of
Article X. Of the Covenant, pronounced
nv President WILSON for the benen
OF "men who evidently did not Under
stand It." Far from being that !
was in the way Of n deliberate offe
ola quid for a quo. IL was q specific
Nudge in the name Of the United
states Of military aid directly to Ru
mhnia and Serbia in case Of thei
need. as consideration for their with
drawal OF objections to his Covenan
on, the ground that 1t impaired thel
national sovereignty In domestic af
fArs. The context shows this. Their
"a m other possible Interpretation O.