San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-03
NO CREDIT TO WILSON

There are some people 10 WIIOHl l"CIS
arc never facts and who add TO this men
tai deficiency the weakness OF the ostrich
who believes that when he hides his head
in the sand all eyes in the world are
closed simply because he cannot sec.
These people are already predicting that
Woodrow Wilson is soon to completely
dominate and decide the policies OF the
Democratic party, especially in the next
rational campaign.
OF course, there is no way OF predicting
the future except by guessing at 1t
along what seems to the guessor the line
of greatest probability. The would-bc
prophets who forsees the political Dictator
Ship of Mr. Wilson have just as good a
right to their@visions as have the people
who prefer to believe that Mr.. Wilson as
a political counselor and guide has closed
his career and finished his work.
One of the reasons why these Wilson
people profess to see the return OF Mr..
Wilson is that Japan has given up to
China the peninsula OF Shantung. 1t
will be remembered that according to the
terms of the treaty of Versailles as adj
vocated by Mr.. Wilson China was TO be
left entirely to the mercies and discretion
of Japan in this matter Mr.. Wilson was.
in favor of abandoning China to her fate.
Now Shantung has been restored to China
and that fact, is hailed as vindcation OF
Mr.. Wilson. This is most strange and
curious reasoning.
Suppose, for example that the captain
of an ocean liner should see a small boat
adrift in the middle OF the Atlantic ocean
and should refuse to aid the occupants OF
that boat giving as his reason that, in his
opinion, they would be sure to reach shore
after a time. Suppose that the boat did
ultimately reach shore, would that be a
vindication of the captain who had refused
would not. No more does the fact that
Japan has restored the province OF Shan
tung, absolve Mr. Wilson OF moral derelic-
ton when he proposed to abandon her.
1t was the act OF desertion of China that
was not approved by the American people.
Mr.. Wilson is entitled to no credit be-
cause Japan acted in good faith with
China. The Wilson plan advocated bad
faith with China.
Suppose policeman sees a burglar
forcing his way into a residence and be-
cause of physical cowardice does not at
tempt to interfere with the act OF burg
larry. Is the policeman to be commended
if the burglar finds nothing worth steal
ing? Ha4y.
The plan proposed by Mr.. Wilson in
dealing with the Shantung affair was cold
blooded desertion of China and deliberate
ignoring Of the rights of that country. He
did not go the extreme Of offering a guar
antee for Japan. Even in the moral sense
he did not underwrite her bond The fact
that Japan did act in good faith and did
pay her note constitutes no vindication
of Mr. Wilson's course.
1t is difficult to see where the adher-
ents of Mr.. Wilson can get the idea that
their idol is about to be worshipped by
the rank and file of the Democratic party.
In nearly every instance where he has,
since his retirement, ventured to advise
the people as to what they should do in
political matters, they have done some
thing else. Mr.. Wilson did all that was
in his power to bring about the defeat OF
Jim Reed in Missouri and Jim Reed is
senator-elect from Missouri.
So far as Wisconsin is concerned the
Democratic party would be we'll advised il
it allowed the past to bury its dead