Evening star., 1924-03-01
CHAPTER vi.
How MIR. Wilson's ideas of personal
responsibility I'm party leadership
| led him to believe he should be
nominated for a third term.

How Nr. Wilson's ideas of personal
responsibility I'm party leadership
! led him to believe he should be
nominated for a third term.
Nothing perhaps illustrates more
forcibly the psychological effect of
the parliamentary idea on tho mind
OF Woodrow Wilson than his deter
aniration to attend the Paris peace
conference as the head of the United
States delegation. 1t was no sudden
decision arrived at in the two weeks
between the signing Of the armistice
md the day he set sail. Mr.. Wilson
had seriously considered going to
Europe. even in the months when the
United States was neutral, if by per-
honal and official mediation he could
bring about world peace. When Mr..
Wilson did go to Paris to represent
the United States in a conference of
belligerents people on this side of
The Atlantic failed to grasp the sig
nificance of his relationship to the
other negotiators.
1t was not conference of SOW
ereigns-no kings or emperors were
present. 1t was a conference, how
ever, of the heads of parliamentary
Eovernments-prime ministers and
premiers. In point of rank all were
on an equal footing except Mr.. Will
son, who was not only prime minister
hut the head of the state he repre-
scented. BY virtue of his dual role.
he was entitled to the conside ra tion
due both offices.
Lower Rank for United States.
To have stayed in America and
sent member of his cabinet as head
OF the delegation would have permit
tod the prime minister of Great
1;ritain and the premiers of the other
countries to outrank the chairman of
the American delegation. This did
1ot comport with Mr.. Wilson's idea
Of the dignity of the United States
rs an equal, nor was it consistent
with the influential part America had
played in articulating the aims of the
war. The secretary for foreign af-
fairs in the British cabinet, Arthur
Balfour, and the minister of foreign
affairs in the French cabinet, Stephen
tlchon, were members of their re-
spective delegations, but they did not
George, the head of the British gov
ernment, and Georges Clemenceau
the French premier. as well as Sig
1or Orlando, the Italian premier, to-
Sether with the President of the
United States. made up the famous
big four" who conducted the peace
conference.
IL was the first time in the his
tory of the American republic that
The executive of the presidential sys-
tenn and the head of the parlia :
lnentary system came face to face
MIR. Wilson found himself constantly
explaining the differences between
the two. The British prime minister
and the other premiers We're able to
commit their governments to a
specific line of action. President
wilson told his colleagues he couId
not do SO. He needed the concur
renee of two-thirds of the United
states Senate to approve his negotia-
LIONS. The other negotiators were
sure OF their parliamentS-if thew ha n
not been they could not have re-
'1alhed at the peace conference.
Crisis back home would overnirb,
have forced resignation or . zen
tral election. Mr.. Wilson had lost :.
majority of both houses of Congress
ou' hopeu 10 win non-partisan SUD-
port Tor the treaty, because never
in Americai history had a treatv of
peace been rejected by the United
States Senate
why senate Was Ignored,
In this same connection II is ,..
finent to disclose what were Wood
row Wilson's reasons for dec1inina
10 appoint to the American na.oa
delegation any members of rho
United States Senate. He was Bit
7erly criticized for his failure to do
SO, the argument being made that
since treaties can be made ONLY with
The advice and consent of the Sem
ate, the latter body should have rep
fesentation on the mission which ne
SotiateS the treaties. Mr. Wilson
never made public his viewpoint on
this. But he gave. nevertheless. care
1ul consideration to it before he an
bounced the personnel of the Amer
lean peace delegation. He called for
an opinion from the Department of
State. The opinion rendered was In
Consonance with belief always held
by Mr.. Wilson-that President Nc
1<inley made a mistake when he ap-
pointed two members of the Senate
g. democrat and a republican, to Sit
on the delegation which conclude,.
h. treaty of peace with Spain after
the war Of 1898. The action of Mr.
NIckinley was debated at length in
The Senate at the time, some of the
lest constitutional lawyers of the
day contending that it was improper
10 permit member of the legis-
1ative branch of the government to
hold any office with or without COM
pensation in the executive branch of
the government. On this point the
Constitution says:
NO senator or representative