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Show H WARNS PRESIDENT OFALIENAT- H ED PUBLIC SENTIMENT H The President is now just beginning to H pay the price which he was always bound m to pay at some time for the peculiar meth- B od adopted by him of running the cdun- B try, during the war. This method was in H brief to promote a sound democratic pur- M pose by means which were in certain re- H spects autocratic and coercive. He used M the intense patriotic feelings of one of fl. the most patriotic people in the world in M order to unite the nation during the war M under his own leadership, but the unity Hj which he obtained in this way was arti- Bjj - ficial and forced. He never sufficiently H sharedthe responsibility with those of his H , fellow' countrymen who were entitled to H ' share it and he never built up a loyal fol- f lowing among the people whose support j he most needed. Now when the war is B over the forced unity disappears and he jH! is left dangerously isolated at the mo- IH ment when the success of his policy is H! being challenged by enemies no less stif f- H! necked and hostile than the Germans. His B own, party is disgruntled; the Republican Hj party is aggrieved and embittered; non- Hj' partisan liberals ' cannot get over his 1 harsh, unnecessary suppression of free H dom of utterance; Congress as a body re- H sents the extent to which he has failed B during the war to consult it sleader; the Hf war bureaucracy does not inspire as H much trust as it should; people find it H hard to understand why he should sur- Hj round himself with so many inferior H men and they find his frequent failure B to take public opinion into his confidence m equally a cause of suspicion. Finally, and Hf most important, it is only too clear that H,, , his fellow countrymen have not grasped H the manner of his international policy. H He has not built up among his own peo- H pie a body of public opinion which real- H izes the importance of a league of nations H , the obstacles to its realization and the ne- H f cessity of assuming such a grave future H' obligation. The suppression of discussion H and the consequent stagnation of thought H which the administration favored has H prevented any sufficient education of the H American people in the significance of H their own great enterprise. New Re- H public. |