Evening star., 1939-12-28

est disappointment of his life that
the United States failed to JOIN IN
the plan he devised.
Critics of Mr.. Wilson'S policies
have not grown kinder with the
wears. The paradox of man who
was reelected in November, 1915,
and then recommended a declara-
ton of war in April, 1917, Is still
cited against him as a sort OF IN
consistency of his making. when
careful examination Of the facts
of history will reveal that Ger
MANY misconstrued Americas cleo
ton campaign of 1916 as notice that
the United States would accept
peace at any price and would never
defend neutral rights.
The charge. moreover, that self
ish commercial interests influenced
President Wilson's course in decld-
ing on war in 1917 has been made
by hostile critics who have ignored
the testimony of the overwhelming
membership of the House and Sen
ate who voted for war, many OF
whom are alive today to testify to
the truth.
Made No Peace Boast.
Mr.. Wilson feared as early as l9l3
when the Lusitania was sunk tnat
the United States would be drawn
into the war, but he managed by
note writing and negotiation 10
keen the issues from flaring up and
bv the spring of 1916 thought he
had succeeded in persuadlng Ger
many to respect American rights on
the high seas. In not single
speech that he delivered in the 1916
campaign did Mr.. Wilson ever boast
that he had kept the Nation out OF
war but the Democratic campaign
ers did so. During the summer OF
1916, the issue was important but
incidental, really, to the develop
ment of economic prosperity. With
the farmers in the West receiving
50 a bushel for wheat and an under
current of feeling that Mr.. Wilson
was need at the helm, the country
returned him to power, but by a
close vote. The theme of the Re-
publican campaign was that Mr..
Wilson had not aggressively as
serted American rights in Mexico or
elsewhere. And when war was de-
clared in April, 1917, the late Henry
Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts, Re-
publican leader. was as enthusiastic
as any pro-ally in America.
AS the years pass on, the new
generation which is born provides
critics who use the facts of history
to suit their own emotional pur-
poses. Mr.. Wilson fought against
America S entry into the war. He
incurred the antagonism of the
allies by his frequent proposals for
peace and mediation. When the
armistice was signed, it was Mr.
, Wilson's set of terms announced IN
his addresses to Congress that Ger
many really accepted as basis for
the armistice. To this day, German
historians and lately Herr Hitler
have blamed Mr. Wilson because the
points on which the armistice was
based were not fulfilled, and be-
cause a large punitive indemnity was
imposed through the device of "repa-
rations." For reasons of their own
the European writer's do not place
the blame on the shoulders OF
Premier Clemenceau of France ano
Prime Minister Lloyd George OF
Britain and Premier Orlando OF
Italy who, having made secret
treaties among them, absolutely re-
fused to listen to anything but a
vindictive peace and settlements
which would establish another mill
tary balance of power in their favor
Disliked Versailles Treaty.
Mr.. Wilson didn't like the Ver-
sailles treaty. He hoped against hope
that its mistakes would be corrected
by the machinery of the League OF
Nations and then, when the League
was set up, America would not join
Opinions may differ as to whether
Americas moral support would have
been of any help if the so-called
Lodge reservations to the League
Convenant had been accepted by
President Wilson instead of insisting
as he did on the so-called Hitchcock
reservations The former group were,
he believed, of an emasculatory ma
ture and would have ruined the
League at the outset, whereas the
latter reservations we're not devia
tions from the underlying principles
President Wilson believed that an
other balance of power would pro-
duce war. He foresaw the dangers
to democracy in a world governed
by German imperialism and felt
that the best defense against it was
a united world. History will RECORD