Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-03-02

war cabinet in 1917-1S. This led to his
prominence in the peace conferenc" an'
to his close contact with President
Wilson. ON February Sof this year
Premier Smuts and the South African
party won decisive victory at the
polls over Gen. Hertzog and those VIII"
advocated the secession of South Al
rica from the British empire.
Woodrow Wilson's Place Isl History
G;y General the Right Honorable Jan
Christian Smuts. Premier Of the Union
of South Africa)
Pretoria. South Africa, January s. 1921
1T has been suggested that ! %houl'
write IA short estimate and appraisal o
the work of President Wilson on th'
termination of his presidency of th'
United States of Anne RIGA. feel ;
must comply with the suggestion. =
feel | may not remain silent when there
is an opportunity to say word of ap
probation for the work of one witt
whom | came into close contact at
great period and who rendered tn
most signal service to the great human
cause.
There is a great saying of M"Em
son U believc) in reference to the clos
-
eclipse "On those whom the gods love
they lavish infinite joys and infinit'
sorrows' 1t has come back t" my min
in reference to the close of Wilson
career For few brief moments h'
was not only the leader of the Gr"atcs-'
state in the world: he was raised t" ia
u.iddier heights and became the ""ntr"
of the worlds hopes. And then l." fell
misunderstood and rejected by his oWi
people. and his great career closes aP
parcntly in signal and tragic defeat
What is the explanation of this tr'
mendous tragedy, which is not $ol"l
American, which closely concerns th
whole world: OF course. th"r" az
purely American elements i'm tie g.
pIanation, which am rot competent t.
speak on Eut besides the America
Quarrel with President Wilson there
sometime: to be said on the great mat
tcr= in issue. ON these | may be pei
mitted to say "a few words.
The position occupied by Prc$idcn
Wilson in the worlds Imagination q
the close Of the great war and at th
beginning of the peace conference wa
terrible in it's greatness. 1t was a tc'
rible position for any mere man
occupy Probably to no human hcing
the aspira tious of so many millions
his fellows turn with such poi"naf
intensity az to him at the close of tn
war. At a time of the deepest darlSncF
and despair. he had raised aIOft II lig'
to which all eyes had turned. lie ha
spoken divine words of healing a"
consolation to a broken humanity. Hi
lofty moral idealism seemed for a mo
mcnt to dominate the brutal passion
which had torn the old world as'nde'
And he supposed to possess the So
crct which would remake the world o.
fairer lines. The peace which WhiSo'
was bringing to the world was expect
ed to he Gods peace. Prussianism la
crushed: brute force had failed utterly
Moral character of the universe ha
been most siGnaIIy vindicated. Their
was a universal vague hope of n 2rea
moral peace. of new world order ariS
ing visibly and Immediately on the run
of the old This hope was not mer'
superficial sentiment. 1t was the in
tense expression at the end of the wa
of the inner moral and spiritual force
which had upbOrne the peoples Gurin'
the dark night of the war and ha'
nerved them to an effort almost beyon'
human strength. Surely, surely. Coo
had been with them in that long nigh
of agony. He was the victor; Hi!
should be the peace. And President
Wilson was looked upon as the mar
to make this great peace. He ha6
voiced the great ideals of the new or
der: his great utterances had become
the contractual bases for the armistic6
and the peace. The idealism of Wilson
| would surely become the reality of the
new order of things in the peace
| treaty.
In this atmosphere of eXtravagant
almost frenZied expectation he arrived
at the Paris peace conference. Without
! hesitation he plunged into that inferno
| of human passions. He went down in
! to the Pit like a second Heracles to
| bring back the fair Alcestis of the
| worlds desire. There were six months
of agonzd waiting, during which the
world situation rapidly deteriorated
And then he emerged with the peace
/ treaty 1t was not a Wilson treaty
and he made a fatal mistake in some
| how giving the impression that the
! peace was in accord with his fourteen
/ points and his various declarations
| Not so the world had understood him
| This was a Punic peace, the same sort
| of ha iofa ho6 nfofn cd fr