New-York tribune., 1920-06-29

beat upon the door of the sick cham
Der. The enemies of the President
upon the floor of the Senate repeated
every slander that envy could invent,
and they could scarcely control the
open manifestation of their glee when
the great man was stricken at last
The Congress was in session tor
months while the President lay in the
White House, struggling with a terri
flying illness and, at times, close to the
point of death. He had been physical
ly wounded just as surely as were Gar
field and Mckinley and Lincoln for it
is but difference of degree between
fanatics and partisans. The Congress
during all this period, when the whole
heart of America ought to have been
flowing out in love and sympathy, did
not find time, amid their chickering's, to
pass one resolution of generous import
or extend one kindly inquiry as to the
fate of the President of their own
country.
Wilson's Offensc
"And what was his offense? Merely
ths-that he strove to redeem the
word that America had given to the
world that he sought to save a future
generation from the agony through
which this generation had passed; that
he had taken seriously the promises
that all nations had made that they
would unite at the end of the war in a
compact to preserve the peace Of the
world; and that he relied upon the
good faith of his own people. Ii there
was any mistake, it was that he made
too generous estimate of mankind,
that he believed that the idealism
which had made the war a great spirit
ual victory could be relied upon to Sc
cure the legitimate fruit of the war
the reign of universal peace.
"In one sense it is quite immaterial
what people say about the President.
Nothing we can say can add or detract
from the fame that will flow down the
uncnding channels of history. Gen
erations yet unborn will look back to
this era and pay their tribute Of honor
to the man who led people Thu ough
troublous ways out of the valleys of
selhshness up to the mountain tops OF
achievement and honor and there
showed them the promised land of
Whether history records that they en-
tered in or turned their backs upon the
vision, it is ali one with him-he is
INN ortal.
League of Nations History
"There are men who seem to be an
. noyed whe:. we suggest that American
honor is bound up in this contest, and
that good faith requires that we should
enter the League of Nations, The
whole Republican case is based upor
the theory that we may, with honor
do as we please about this matter anC
that we have made no promises which
il is our duty to redeem. Let us turr
again to the record.
THE Republican party in its plat
, form in 1916 had declared for a worl(
: court for the pacific settlement o
international disputes. The Progress
sive party in 1912 and in 1916 ha'
{ likewise declared for an arrangement
Z manent. The Democratic party il
" 1916 had specifically declared in favo
y of the establishment Of a League o
) Nations. The Senate itself, Oh Angus
( %, 1915, by unanimous vote, passed
: measure requesting the President I
{ take the lead in such a world move
- ment.
= con December IS, 1916, the Presi
. dent addressed an identic note to tn
. nations at war, requesting them
state the terms upon which they woul
Qcem IL pOSSlDl W Ndhc pcdNc'
- this note he proposed the creation @
e League of Nations, saying: In tn
measures to be taken to secure tn
> future peace of the world the peopl
. and government of the United State
~ are as vitality and directly ntereste
- as the governments now at war.
They stand ready and even eager
,s cooperate in the accomplishment
20 these ends when the war is over, wit
u every influence and resource at the
70 command
=, 10 "Ths was four months before Amel
~ ~ ica entered the war.
~ y "To this identic note the Centr
" Powers answered evasively, but II
nf af Allies, in their reply dated at Pari
~ ~ January 10, 1917, declared "the
of whole hearted agreement with the pr
80 posa to create League of Nation
20 which shall assure peace and justi
81 throughout the world
II "On January %, 1917, the Presidel
la addressed the Senate with referen'
a. to these replies, and said: In eve1
90 discussion Of the peace that must Ell
~ this war it is taken for granted tn
~ the peace must be followed by son
- - definite concert of power which sha
make it virtually impossible that al
al such catastrophe shall overwhelm
-, again
=; "Speaking of the league of pea
-, which was to follow the war, he sal
o lu If the peace presently to be made
~, to endure, it must be a peace ma
~ ~ secure by the organized major for
..5 of mankind
ad IA "Actng upon these proposals, bo
"a the French and the British COVER
10. ments appointed committees to stu
~ the problem while the war was still
"a progress
cd con April 2, 1917, the President {
~. livered his famous war message
Tvs Congress, and thrilled the heart of t
ire country anew by his announced pt
~ pose to make the contest "a war agar
y: war High above all of our 9th
, aims, he placed "a universal domini
oS of right by such a concert of free pc
oN pies as shall bring peace and safe
to all nations and make the world its
at last free
;ce "Following this message, the &C
10. gress by resolution, passed April
II, 1917 recognized the state of war.
Of "On January 8, 1913, the Preside
rce went before Congress and set forth
'an famous fourteen points The 70,
The teenth point which is practically i'd
rye tlcal in language with the provisio
r;- of Article X of the covenant, provid
,ad that "A genera! association of natic
II must be formed under specific Gov,
wn ants for the purpose Of nfrording II