The Washington herald., 1922-08-16

the Navy. said no. and later the
dear little Secretary of War said
that he thanked God that We were
not prepared when we entered the
war" Think Of a Secretary OF War
saying that! To thank God that
we were not prepared. and as a re-
suit of this unprepsredness were to
shed unnecessary American b,ood!
The professor said. in effect, that as
We were raising our voice in right
eous protest against all way. we
must show our sincerity by rot pre-
pairing to night. Beautiful senri-
ment, but blundering and suicidal
statesmanship. Then. over night
again, as II were, on a Western
trip to St. Louis, the Kaleidoscope
change came, and he astounded his
followers who had not already be-
come converted to the policy of
preparedness by a speech ia which
he said that We must build up a
large army and an Incompatible
navy!' As for our part in the world
war, we did what we did in spite
of Mr.. Wilson, his unpreparedness
his Secretaries Of War and OF the
Navy and the war profiteers taking
advantage of the emergency natHre
of conditions that resulted from
policy of +unpreparedness. The
greatest factors in our accomplish
ment were the selective draft, the
give till IL hurts" patriotism Of
Americans at home and the Bala-
klavan spirit of the 1000. 600 en-
listed and drafted patriotic A m .ri-
can men.
Mr.. Wilson switched with the
same celebrity and equanimity on
many (all?) other questions of nar
tional importance. such. for exam
pie. as the tariff question. In fact.
1 would challenge V.fitas to name
over a short list OF such questions
on which Mr.. Wilson did not COM
pletely reverse himself. 1t may be
that only a fool never changes his
mind, but II is automatic that so
many changes in so short q period
of time do pot mark the statesman.
Perhaps his self-estimation of his
own greatness as a factor in world
affairs has never changed: nut on
the big problems Of public welfare,
national and international. ne has
been like the rabbit.
When you look him in the face
He is in some other place.
And all of his close friends and
advisors-what has become Of
them? One by one, like the Sena-
tors from around Cataline, they
have been drawn away and left him
alone. the last. 10 date. to get the
wilsonian rebuff being his own
faithful secretary. Some stuck to
him to the bitter end. faithful, pub
1fnlv ot hA rop be
final straw of petulant peevishness.
laid on the breaking back.
After all. Mr.. Wilson is primarily
the teacher. and the old stern
teacher at that. He does not brook
back talk" and he probably
looks on all those around him as a
teacher looks upon his pupils. as in
tellectual interiors. He has been
student-but of books. not of
men. as were Cromwell, Lincoln and
Roosevelt. Perhaps the study Of
books alone and the vocation of
teaching tend to make one a stub
born and dogged holder to his own
dicta, and intolerant of dissenting
opinions. Great men raised in in
innate contact with the four mill
lion, are not SO intolerant, die
tatorial and unyielding to the ad-
vice and opinion of others. Such
great men can talk with crowds
and keep their virtue, or walk
with kings nor lose the common
touch" Mr.. Wilson may write in
terestingly, entertainingly and in
structively of the history of con-
stitutionsl governments, II in pom
derous sentences of long dangling
modifiers. but as a statesman and
a professor"
BROCK C. HAMPTON.