The Glenwood post. (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) 1897-current, 1920-02-21
SlOW-MINDED
WILSON DupED f,
BY PEACE PLANS


sequences Of the Peace" by John
Maynard Keynes, has just been print
ed by Harcourt, Brace & Howe. If
for no other reason than for its re-
markable pictures of Wilson, Clemen-
ceau and Lloyd George at the peace
conference, it would be literary
achievement of the highest order.
But it is more than that. 1t is
rapid, intelligent, succinct, and dram
attic review of the situation in Europe
before the war, the collapse of ideal
ism of the peace conference, the patch
ing up of what he terms an insincere
treaty and powerless league of ma
tons, the bankruptcy of Europe AMI
the possible provisions for its rehabil-
itation.
Its author, John Maynard Keynes,
since 1906 has been connected with the
British civil service, first in the India
office and later in the treasury Dur
ing the war he was in charge of Brit
ish financial relations with the allied
powers; accompanied Lord Reading to
Washington as financial advisor in
1917; was the chief representative of
the British treasury at the peace con-
ference and member of the supreme
economic council of the allied aid as
ISOLATED powers. He is editor of the
Economic Journal a British publica-
ton
There can seldom have been a
statesman of the first rank Mr..
Keynes writes, "more incompetent
than President Wilson in the agilities
of the council chamber. 1t was COM
monty believed at the commencement
of the Paris conference that the presi.
dent had thought out, with the aid of
a large body of advisers, comprc-
hensive scheme not only for the league
of nations, but for the embodiment Of
the fourteen points in an actual treaty
of peace.
''But in fact, the president had
thought out nothing; when it came 70
practice his IDEAS were nebulOus and
incompetent. He had no plan. no
scheme, no constructive ideas what
ever for clothing with the flesh of
life the commandments which he had
Numbered from the White House. He
of them or have addressed stately
prayer to the Almighty for their full
fillment, but he could not frame their
concrete application to the actual
state of Europe. Not only was
he uniformed = that was true of
Lloyd George-but his mind was slow
and Anadaptable. The president $
siowness among the Europeans was
noteworthy.
His mind was too slow and unre-
sohrceful to be ready with any alter
natives. The president was capable Of
digging his toes in and refusing to
bulge, as he did over Fiume, but lie
had no other mode of defense, and it
needed as a rule hut a little maneuv
ering by his OF poncnts to prevent mat
tiers from coming to such a head until
it was too late.
"By pleasantncss aud an appear
anee of Cancellation, the president
would he Unanswered off his ground.
would miss the movement for digging
his toes in and before he knew where
he had been got to it was too late.
Victory would only have
been possible to one who had always
sufficiently lively apprehension OF
the position as whole to reserve his
fire and know for certain the rare
moments for decisive action. Aud
for that the president was far too
slow minded and bewildered.
Ellis fellow plentipotentiaries' were
dummies, and even the trusted Colo
mel House, with vastly more knowl-
edge of men aid of Europe than tho
PRESIDENT from whose senstiveness
the president dullness had gained
much, fell into the background as time
went on.'
Meanwhile Mr.. Wilson was engaged.
Mr.. Keynes says, in game of blind
man 8 buff, in which he was the dupe
of the other members Of the Big
Four. He held all the stakes in his
hands, and the question was only that
of. keeping him fooled long enough to
take them away from him without
arousing his antagonism. They found
that anything that sounded just and
right anything framed in highly
moral and theological language, would
49,. La ;uAallinanna and Wilanr,