Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1922-01-26
Woodrow Wilson.
tst. Louis Giobe-Democrat.) J

congressman SlmeOn u. FeSS or
Ohio, in speech at Columbus, Tues
day, discussed the armament con
ference. After giving credit to Presi-
dent Harding and Secretary Hughes
for their great work he said: "As a
Republican and chairman Of the Ma
tional Republican Congressional Com
mittee, wish here and now also to
give credit to President Wilson for
his part in molding the sentiment of
the people of this country and the
world in favor Of such a consumma-
tion." In other words, though Wood
row Wilson is crippled in body, his
voice silenced, his soul in retreat, the
spirit which he invoked is at work
throughout his country and through
out the earth, molding thought and
action for peace and justice and
humanity. Truly, as old Euripides
says, slime will discover everything
to posterity.n Time in the case of
Wilson is not waiting for posterity,
but is discovering him to contem
poraries. Mr.. Fess is q. partisan Re-
publican, of long service in Congress.
He is, as he says, chairman Of the
National Republican Congressional
Committee, and, as such, he had
charge of the Republican campaign
for congressional elections in 1918
and 1920. Therefore this tribute to
Wilson, coming from man of bis
parts, and of his standing in the Re-
publican party, is significant of the
changing view of Wilson's work as
time is revealing it in clear per-
spective.
A few days after the armistice was
signed the Globe Democrat express
ed its appreciation of the service of
Woodrow Wilson in the great war.
SIT was in giving form and voice to
the established principles of America,
and in their insistant application to
world conditions and to the righteous
purposes of this war; we said then,
ssthat the President accomplished
work Of singular value and of extra
ordinary greatness 1t was of value,
first, in lifting q reluctant element Of
the people of this country above the
influences of selfish and sordid con-
siderations, and rallyiDg the whole
nation to united action by the urge of
ideals that have ever appealed to
American minds and American hearts.
But it was of large value in fixing
these principles. these American
ideals, in the minds and hearts of
people everywhere, and particularly
the people of the belligerent coun-
tries, enemies as well as friends,
causing their concrete realization to
become the worlds DESIRE"
In his personal participation in the
war, which preceded national par
ticipation, the persistent purpose of
Wilson was the establishment of a
new order of political relations in the
world, founded upon American princi-
pies and ideals. He claimed no more
than to interpret and to voice the
spirit of America, as it has revealed
itself, clean and pure, in every time
of stress. When he addressed the
Senate in January, 1917, on condi-
tions of peace, three months before.
the declaration of war, he said: "Per-
haps ! am the only person in high
authority amongst all the peoples Of
the world Whois at liberty to speak
and hold nothing back. | am speak
ing as an individual, aud yet am
speaking also, of course, as the re,
sponsible head of great government,
and feel confident that | have said
what the people OF the United States
would wish me to say,'' In that ad-
dress he laid down the principles Of
peace and of future conduct between
nations, which q year later were em-
bodied in part in the nfourteen
points" which became the foundation
of the terms of the armistice, and
these same principles, after another
year had passed, he took to Paris,
ready to sacrifice everything else,
but adamant as to their adoption.
History, we think, will mark that
speech Of January, 1917, as the be-
ginning Of q new epoch in human re-
lations. It was true, az he said then,
that he was the only person in high
authority at liberty to speak, but it
was an act of extraordinary courage
for him to speak as he did, and only
man Of surpassing vision could have
ventured, In the midst Of hate and
blood and distraction, to point out to
Europe and to the world OF the future,
the path 1t must take to enduring
peace. The belligerent nations were
amazed at his audacity, but mankind
heard and took new hope. And the
I path to which he pointed, and so per-
sistently and eloquently defined, is
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