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 for
months while the President lay in the
White House, struggling with 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 Offense
"And what was his offense? Merely
this-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 If there
was any mistake, it was that he made
a too generous estimate of mankind,
that he believed that the idealism
which had made the war great spirit
ual victory could be relied upon to Sc
cure the legitimate fruit of the war
the reign of universal peace.
"1n 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
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
freedom and safety and fraternity.
Whether history records that they en-
tered in or turned their backs upon the
vision, it is all one with him-he is
| immortal.
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 upon
the theory that We may, with honor
do as we please about this matter and
that we have made no promises which
it is our duty to redeem. Let US turn
again to the record.
"Iho R0OlblICaD marty in it's nj q r.
form in 1916 had declared for worlc
court for the pacific settlement OF
international disputes' The Progress
sive party in 1912 and in 1916 hac
likewise declared for an arrangement
between nations to make peace per
manent. The Democratic party il
1916 had specifically declared in favor
of the establishment of League Of
Nations. The Senate itself, on Angus
28, 1916, by unanimous vote, passed {
measure requesting the President to
take the lead in such world move
mcnt.
con December 1s, 1916. the Presi
dent addressed an identic note to the
nations at war, requesting them t
state the terms upon which they woult
deem it possible to make peace. II
this note he proposed the creation o
League Of Nations, saying: IN th'
measures to be taken to secure th
future peace Of the world the people
and government of the United State
are as vitality and directly interested
as the governments now at war
, They stand ready and even eager t.
, cooperate in the accomplishment o
these ends when the war is over, will
, every influence and resource at the
, command
"This was four months before Amer
lea entered the war.
"To this identic note the Contra
Powers answered evasively, but tn
{ Allies, in their reply dated at Paris
r January 10, 1917, declared "thei
{ wh ole hearted agreement with the pro
6 posal to create League of Nations
> which shall assure peace and justic
! throughout the world
/ "On January 20, 1917, the Presiden
a addressed the Senate with referenc
to these replies, and said: In ever
, discussion of the peace that must en-
! this war it is taken for granted tha
/, the peace must be followed by som
+ definite concert of power which shal
make it virtually impossible that an
!, such catastrophe shall overwhelm u
+, again
"Speaking Of the league of peac
! which was to follow the war, he said
IL llt ptdCS DiSStItiy w NC uietQc
:, to endure, it must be peace mad
:, secure by the organized ma jor fore
: of mankind.'
\ "Acting upon these proposals, bot
!. the French and the British govern
:, ments appointed committees to stud
the problem while the war was still i
4 progress.
"On April 2, 1917, the President dc
livered his famous war message t
. Congress, and thrilled the heart of til
= country anew by his announced pun
pose to make the contest "a war againS
war High above all of our otht
:, aims, he placed "a universal dominic
y of right by such a concert Of free pee
" pies as Shall bring peace and safct
to all nations and make the world itse
at last free
o "Following this message, the Cor
:. gress by resolution, passed April
;. 1917, recognized the state of war
f "On January 8, 1918, the Presider
q went before Congress and set forth HI
n famous fourteen points. The foul
@ teenth point, which is practically idel
q tlcai in language with the provision
: OF Article X Of the covenant, provide
Il that "a general association of nation
II must be formed under specific cover
n ants for the purpose of atfording mi
n tual guarantees of political indepene
n ence and territorial integrity to gre;
= and small states alike
DiSrusxe. Iodra,o C4,,J