The Washington herald., 1921-03-03

In the history OF the race would
have saved that situation. The
great hope was, not the heraldins
OF the coming dawn. as the peoples
thought, but only a dim intirnation
Of some far-on event toward which
We shall yet have to make many
long, weary march. Sincerely as
We believed in the moral ideals for
which he had fought. the tempta-
tion at Paris of a large booty to
be divided proved too great. And
in the end not only the leaders but
the peoples preferred q bit of booty
here, a strategic frontier there, q
coal field or an oil well. an addition
es--to all the faint allurements Of
the ideal. As I said at the time.
the real peace was still 10 come.
and IL could only come from q new
spirit In the peoples themselves.
Wilson Had 10 Re Csnciliated.
What was really saved at Paris
was the child-the covenant of the
league of. nations. The political
realists who had their eye on the
loot were prepared-however reluc-
tantly-to throw up that innocent
little sop to President Wilson and
his fellow idealists. After all, there
was not much harm in 1t. 1t threat
ened no present national interest.
and 1t gave great pleasure to a
number of good impractical people
in most countries. Above all, Pres
ident Wilson had to be conciliated.
and this was the last and the great
, est of the fourteen points on which
he had set his heart and by which
he was determined to stand or fall.
And so he got his way. But 1t
Is fact that only a man OF his
great power and influence and
dogged determination could have
carried the covenant through that
Peace Conference. Others had seen
with him the great vision: others
had perhaps given more thought
to the elaboration of the great plan.
But his was the power and the
will that carried IL through. The
covenant is Wilson's souvenir to the
future Of the world. No one will
ever deny him that honor.
Great Creative Decument.
The honor is very great. indeed.
for the covenant Is one of the great
creative documents OF human his
toIys Inc pchCc treaty VIII Id0e
into merciful oblivion and its pro-
visions will be gradually obliter-
ated by the great human tides
sweeping over the world. But the
covenant will stand as sure as fate.
Forty-two nation gathered round It
at the first meeting of the league
at Geneva. And the day is not far
of when all the free peoples Of the
fnrlA Mil
must succeed, because there is no
other way for the future of civili-
zation 1t does not realize the great
hopes born Of the war, but 1t pro-
vides the only method and instru-
ment by which in the course OF
time those hopes can be realized.
Speaking as one who has some
right TO speak on the fundamental
conceptions, objects and methods Of
the covenant. I feel sure that most
OF the present criticism is based on
Observation-Disclosures. These mfsun-
derstandings will clear away. one
by one the peoples still outside the
covenant will fall in behind this
banner, under which the human
race is going to march forward to
triumphs of peaceful organization
and achievements undreamt of by
us children OF an unhappier era.
And the leader who. in spite Of ap.
parent failure. succeeded in inscrib-
ing his name on that banner has
achieved the most enviable and en-
during Immortality. Americans of
the future will yet proudly and
gratefully rank him with Washing
ton and Lincoln. and his fame will
have a more universal significance
than theirs.