Evening star., 1920-03-09
WILSON LETTER
ST|RS SURM|SES
AS T0PACT ISSUE
Executive Is Again il, Form
and May Be Party
"Pacemaker."
by \. O. MESSENGER.

by \. o. MESSENGER.
The first judgment of the politicians
upon the Presidents letter to Senator
Hitchcock was that it demonstrates that
the President is a we'll man again and
that Woodrow Wilson. the maker of
graceful phrases. the constructor Of de-
lightful sentences. the exponent of fasci-
Mating ideals, was at his best. Likewise.
tfat as conjuror of language his
magic art has not lost it's power to
charm.
Whether Wilson the phrase maker is
to be Wilson the pacemaker for the
democratic party is the practical ques-
ton which now absorbs the attention
of the politicians in both parties. That
question is to be answered. it was said
today. only as the Senate disposes OF the
league of nations and democratic SEN
ators register their votes on the reser-
vations still pending and upon final rati-
fication as the treaty is thus reserved.
What Will Party Senator's Dot
Will the democratic senators accept
the dictum of their chief that there is
'ro difference between mild notification
and notification" and with him insist
that the reservations do in fact consti-
tute notification and not Interpretation.
or will they vote their own belief. re-
fusing to assume responsibility for re-
jecting the league Of nations in toto.
II they adopt the Presidents defini-
tion of reservations as being nullifica-
ton, they will accept the President as
the pacsmaker for the party, it is de-
clared, and bind their own political
fortunes and those of their great party
to the stand he thus takes They will
defer their own judgment to his and
be prepared to stand by the conse-
quences. The league of nations will
then be thrown into the campaign.
Would BE Logical Candidate.
Many thoughtful democrats are of
the opinion that in such event the
President would be the logical candi-
date of the party. the one man upon
whom would devolve. in all the circum-
stances. the duty and the attendant
risk Of leadership. He should not ex-
pect, 1t is contended, to force the issue
upon his party against the better judg-
ment of many of the wisest statesmen
in the party and then put upon another
the burden Of leading the fight.
How Would Issue He Made Clear3
The next practical question which
the politicians foresee is. how would
the issue be made clear to the voters
at the polls? 1t could not be written
on the ballot in terms explicit. The
wording would not be Are you in
favor of a league of nations? for
that would not be the question. The
issue would be whether the voter
favored the Presidents league of na-
tions or an Americanized league Of
nations, and that would open the en-
tire range of reservations.
To be sure, 1t was suggested the
issue could be defined in a general
way in the national platforms OF the
two parties. The republicans will
purposes so Realistically set forth in
the Presidents many appeals. but
with reservations to safeguard Amer
lea meanwhile and throughout.
Would then. the democrats. in their
platform, declare for the league of
without reservation? Where would
that leave the democratic voters who
cannot see their way clear to accept
ing the covenant as first presented?
Seen n Platform Groundwork.
having laid the groundwork for a
national platform. 1t is straightout
internationalism and announced re-
lection of nationalism, in words spe-
cif1c
The republicans in the New York
state platform. which foreshadows
the republican national platform,
make internationalism secondary. and
stand for America first"
President Wilson in his letter to
Senator Hitchcock wrote:
II believe that when the full signifi-
canoe of this great question has been
fully apprehended, obstacles will
seem insignificant before the great
opportunity. great and glorious op-
! portunity to contribute our over
whelming moral and material force
to the establishment of an interna-
tional regime in which our own ideals
of justice and right may be made to
prevail and the nations of the world
under conditions of order and safety
hitherto impossible.
Il would beg every one concerned to
consider what it is possible to accom-
plish for humanity rather than in the
| light OF special national interests" he
wrote.
Republicans See Slogan.
! That is where the republicans will
take him up, it is declared; Special
national interests" will be renuhIi-
can slogan. in so far as it NAV dc -
, scribe American interests. and thew
will appeal to democrats and indepenG,
ents as well as to their own peopIe To
protect them.
! The New York state repub1,c,n -
| platform pronounced for the imme,Ii-
ate ratification of the treaty Of neaca
with such distinct reservations and
! declarations as shall make n ciear
| to all the world that the United States
retain it's unconditional rights r.
] withdraw from the league of nations
on proper notice: that the United
| States assumes no obligations. ejtber
legal or moral. to send soldiers or
sailors abroad for service unless the
Congress in the exercise Of its con
stitutional power shall so authorfze
| and direct; that the Monroe doctrine
is protected both in letter and in
| spirit: no foreign power or council
OF foreign powers shall have any con-
troll whatever over the domestic
policies of the United States. and fha :
the people of the United States shall
not be drawn by the labor clauses
into the net spread by international
| socialism"
! AS to the crucial article ". the
platform declared that 1t should not
be accepted by the people of the
United States in its original form.
since to do so would contract away
| control of their own policies and acts
and embroil the country in endless
1 wars.
That is the republican definition OF
the nationalism which they will ad-
vocate, and which the Presidents let
ter describes as special NATIONAL in
terests," adherence to which should
be rejected for service to humanity.