The Washington times., 1925-04-06

= #1OuItuuSO ATOAI1s ASs @ooS
contesting ideas that the world
has ever seen, we find this Celtic
Statesman at his best. His MIND
was fitted by its very limitations,
niceties Of statement that would
have crowded in upon the first
class mind. would have robbed
his issue of its force and turned
IT beyond the comprehension or
the common mind. But Wilson
from his Irish heart, matched
minds with the common people
of the world. He was given Dl-
vine grace to see, as the world
could not see, the fundamental
issues OF the Great War.
The campaign Of 1915 seemed 10
iubricate Wilson'S mental pro.
cesses. with the momentum or
the ranpaign in his soul. he be-
gan that series Of utterances upon
our foreign policy which rallied
the American people as a united
{ nation, forming around Wilson a
spiritual phalanx which went out
ilpon crusade to save the world
for democracy. December 10,
1916. the President transmitted to
the Entente Allies the German
offer to negotiate peace. an offer
made December 18th. December
18th the President suggested to
the nations at war that they state
their aims in simple terms. so
that the people Of the world
might understand them. This was
q diplomatic n1aster-stroke.
1t enraged the Germans. At
first the allies were puzzled; then
they rose to the occasion, and
Tor the first time made a state
ment sufficiently clear. high, and
broad to warrant Americas CO.
operation with them. December
26 the Germans characteristically
replied to the Presidents note,
setting forth no statement Of
terms. but proposing a confer
ence of belligerents. January IL,
again Germany wrote, trying to
clarity her war aims. but her
reply was cluttered with material
things. The Germans, January
13, returned a supplemental reply,
amplifying the terms on which a
durable peace might be obtained
In it they suggested international
cooperation to preserve the peace
of the world. January %, the
President laid before the Senate
his famous document containing
what might be called the founda-
ton OF peace.
Hundred Winged Sentences.
Probably no greater state paper
has been handed by king or pre-
nier to a legislative body in mod
ern times than this message to
Congress on January %, 1917. In
& we find hundred winged SEN
tences that 60 to the heart OF
civilized international relations.
As a piece OF writing the style is
clear and strong, with few
adjectives to weight ii. He said
his say in short simple words,
homely common words, Linz
colnian in their Saxon strength.
OF course, it brought us one step
nearer to war, but 1t brought the
world also many steps, a lOnk
way forward, in the path Of per-
The reply OF Germany to the
tOcsin OF peace was the announce
meTt Of the renewal of the SUBJ
marine warfare within a large
war zcne: force meeting reason.
It shocked the world, and 1t en-
ragged the United States, Febril-
ary 3, the United States sew
cred diplomatic relations with
Germany and the President set
forth the issues Of our special
controversy with Germany 80
exactly, so dfspassionately, so con-
yfncingIy, that even the German
Americans were siIenced. Feb
ruary 26, 1917, the President
again came to Congress with a
message this time asking for
armed neutrality It was a
straightforward business docu-
nlent with little eloquence and
many practical suggestions for
American national conduct.
He took the oath Of office for
his second term, Sunday. March
4, 1917, in private, and Monday.
March 5, the oath was renewed
In public before q crowd in front
OF the Capitol. Amplifiers were
used for the first time to carry
his voice across the plaza to the
thousands assembled there.
Armed Neutrality.
woodrow Wilson that day
loOmed the largest figure in the
civilized world. Four years in
office had not broken him, but
they had changed him greatly.
His face was lean, his body
straight and strong. A COM
manding resonance had come
into his fine tenor voice. One
cannot be President OF the
United States four years and
feel constantly in ones con-
scious moments the responsibility
of the place, the consciousness
that one hundred million people
have him and his personality
always in the back Of their
minds. without some change in
his psychological attitude toward
life. This feeling OF leadership,
of responsibility, OF what might
be called publicity OF ones daily
life ard inner thoughts. weighs
upon a man until 1t makes him
something different from the
: private citizen who went into
the office without these con-
scious burdens upon his soul.
We must remember what man.
ner of man he was: the Celt, the
dreamer, the word.worker; the
man OF books and theories, the
man OF vision and hypotheses.
We develop with the years, un-
fold what we are in the soil Of
circumstance, and we must not
forget that in the kernel Of this