Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-18

rVilREE weeks aud three days
after tho last victorious shots
= OF the great war had been fired
bv Yankee dourhboys in the French
Argonnc the American peace argosy
the George Washington with nc
companylnr warships---dropped down
through tho hcdeckcd and beflagged
hsrhor Of New York. "A new Santa
Maria on It's extraordinary voyage of
discovery TO nns nsunknown world. The
rrcat ship passed majcstically out
through the Narrows. with airplancs
cutting the sky above and tho forts
on either hand roaring with unprc-
Ccdcntcd salutcs Of twcnty-onc guns:
FOR never before had a President OF
the United States set sail for for
cisn land.
it was tho Presidents custom at a
certain tino each day during his
voyages across tho Atlantic-thc
present writer accompanied him
upon three OF thcm--to tramp un and
down tho broad decks Of the ship.
Sometimes hc walked with Mrs. Will
son sometimes with his physician.
Dr. Grayson. infrcquently with other
members OF the party, but in reality
he was always alone. On chance
meetings az a turn Of a passage, or
tho foot OF n cangway. there wcro
sometimes moments Of good common
falkland the President is never
more interesting. more human. than
In these brief meetinEs-but there
was rarely a feeling Of genuine con-
tact upon the great things that real
~ mattcrcd Sometimes he stood
quite still At tho forward rail, look
ing OF across tho wintry sca--to-
ward Europe.
Wilson's Great Prestige Abroad.
fu the time of exalted emotion he
before tho war closed he had been ac-
,cpted by the people OF the nations
as veritable prophet and his words
had become a living force, worth
armics." IN the world. "1n the eyes
of millions OF people" wrote Count
C1crnin OF Austria. "his program
opened ur a world of hope" lie set
tho allied cause upon moral plane.
The statesmen Of tho allied nations.
recognizing tho power Of this wave
81 idoalism. had seized upon e eager
!, as a means Of unllication and re-
muralization. and great American
agencies OF publicity had helped 10
popularlzc and legondize IL. They
had dono their work ccvn too wen.
They had led the world TO expect too
much. But Il q acted upon the allied
nations as an inviEorator. e equally
served Go disintcgrato the unity Of
the Central rowcrs-as. indeed, it
was intended TO do.
In Italy during tho Fan OF that
year O9fS) had seen extraordinary
evidences OF this feeling. The Presi-
dents pictures were In oevry window.
was even toliS in that time OF eS-
aggcratcd speech. that the peasants
in some parts OF Italy set candles
20 burn before them. His "sculp-
turcd words" I saw at Turin en-
blazoucd ON every kiosk: his name
was on every tongue. Hope lay in
america. And what was more cxuh-
erantlv evident in the Latin South
was also true In tho North. Espe-
oislly was he the hope OF the weak
countries % Central Europe. for in
him they saw also the goodwill OF
America So strong was tho feeling
Tor him as tho "libcrator Of Poland
that when university men met each
other-one OF them told me this
they struck their hands and cried
out "Wiisonl" IS a greeting.
Tho President had brought with
him on the George Washington a
large collection OF documents which
had been transmitted TO the White
House mostly during the three few
crish weeks after the armistiec.
u Is impossible 10 give moro than
a glimpse OF this rnatcrial-but per-
haps enough 10 show tho voritable
picture that must have. come now
sharply into the Presidents mind.
You are leaving America SAYS
fnsl inpassioncd appeal from Ar
inculans dee p. without having
uttered the reassurins word as 10
tho future OF Armenia which YOU
did IN the cases OF other oppressed
nationalitics. why should We have
anything further 10 do with Turks
or others and not set Internationally
what Is ours?"
Here is letter from hopeful Uk-
rainians n Russia appealing for the
right TO govern themselves: "Thoy
are dcsirous of having introduced
and established in their motherland
the Ukraine, American ideals of
government and the American sys-
tenn OF education, i'm order TO per-
petuate sound democratic principles
ainoug their people"
Here IL an appeal OF Rumanians
FOR their fellow countrymcn In Hun
gary; hero are stories Of cruelty in
Shantung; here are voluminous doc.
uincnts from tho Jews OF the world
relating 20 the future OF Palestine:
here II an appeal from Persia against
Russian and British domination.
The cause % Christianity" saws a
dispatch from China TO the President
lie largely tied up with what YOU ad.
Nocatc al the Peace Conference. and
what Il does"
And finally, one can scarcely resist
putting IN a few sentences from tho
appeal of the Albsnians 10 the Presi.
dent.
We come. therefore, 90 you. sir. as
90 the respected chief OF the mos,
powerful democracy. as 10 the mar
who has placed the sentiment Of jus
tice far above all interests. To-
day Albania is struggling painfully
iu the hands OF those who wish once
more to dismember her and who
wish 20 take possession OF territories
which DO not belong to them an6
which have never belonged 10 them
Unfortunately for her. Albania. .
poor country. has found no advocat,
m Europe 20 tako her part. Only 3
few isolated persons, struck by the
injustice committed against oui