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Show President Wilson Fails To Make Deep Impression At Omaha According to David Lawrence, whom the Salt Lake Tribune has" engaged en-gaged to report tho Prcstdont's au-dresses, au-dresses, the Picsldent failed to make a deep Impression at Omaha. In Ins report of the Omaha meeting as given giv-en In the Tribune of tho 9th, Mr. Lawrenco says: "President Wilson did not make much of an Impieaslon at Omaha. Ills audience was Interested nnd occasionally oc-casionally enthusiastic, but much of Mr. Wilson's argument went over their heads. Tho street crowds showed surprising apathy. It seemed more like Columbus than any other place visited. Little of the rlp-roai-Ing enthusiasm of Don Moines or St. Louis of Kansas City came out of the multitudes who lined the streets, awe struck or sat respectfully attentive atten-tive In the big auditorium. "After tho meeting talked with several influential Republicans nnd some Democints and the concensus, of opinion was that Mr. Wilson had not advanced much that was new or. soul stirring. I Inquired whether the people In Omaha had been reading preceding speeches of the President, and whether tho ground work of his argument was not already familiar to thorn through the newspapers. They said perhaps that has somothlng to do with It but they Just couldn't tell why Mr. Wilson who really set the town going In a frenzy of enthusiasm enthu-siasm when he was a candidate In 1912 and again when he visited Omaha Om-aha on his preparedness tour In February, Feb-ruary, 1916, didn't arouse tho same fervor thjs time. AN EDITOR'S OPINION One editor whose newspaper admirers ad-mirers Mr. WIlRon nnd who Is himself him-self a supporter of the leaguo of n tlons. was of tho opinion that tho President's subject didn't Interest tho people very much and that try as Mr. Wilson might to make thorn think i n world crisis was on, thoy believed tho war ended last November and that this processes of unscrambling 'in Europe would In due course rehabilitate re-habilitate tho continent. Ho saw ov orywhere a dlstlncllnatlon to analyzo tho treaty but an Impatience to get it out of tho way. Practically the samo viewpoint of tho Impatlonco of the peoplo was given by somo leading Republicans. Thoy couldn't understand tho sen-nte's sen-nte's procrastination .'Wo'ro with Wilson on this Ibsuo, Lut mind you, wero hot with Wilson on this Issuo. nnd If ho runs again ho won't got Democratic support either,' was tho way they expressed It. Again nnd again an undortono of political apprehension ap-prehension Is encountered among Republicans who hesitate to endorse Mr. Wilson's Journey or lend themselves them-selves to tho processes of persuasion which would help get tho treaty ratified rati-fied becauso thoy somehow believe ho may shatter n precedent and run for a third term. BACK OF Till-: FOLD Those who think tho lenguo issuo will bo out of tho way In a few months, go ahead in confldont support sup-port of tho .leaguo, feeling thnt thoy will have plenty of timo to show their community's that thoy bnvo not swallowed Wllsonlsm hook, bait and sinker, Just becauso thoy want to sec tho leaguo of nations established. I was told by a democrat of national prominenco in Iowa that most of the Republicans who voted for Mr. Wilson Wil-son In 19 1G has gone back to tho fold and that mistakes In Washington Washing-ton had turned away some Btaunch Democrats. , It is truo that Republicans predominate pre-dominate on tho reception commit-Itco commit-Itco as Mr. Wilson moves westward, and ho helps to relievo these Individuals Indivi-duals of future embarrassment by stressing his own political disinterestedness disinterest-edness and nonpartisan vlowpolnt toward to-ward the leaguo Issue. But Is Is clear that the lenguo of nations In Iowa and Nebraska Is gotting whole-Bonio whole-Bonio Mipputt from Republicans, In spite of tho president, rather than because of him. Many men told mo they though It undignified of tho president to chainctcrlze senators as 'contemptible quitters. ' Not that somo of the men who have been lambasting lam-basting Mr. Wilson didn't desorvo such eplthots In return for tho unkind un-kind things and ugly imputations which they have thrust at him but somehow they do not expect tho president to descend to the level of his extreme opponents. CJKTS A "I1IO HANI)" "On the other hand 'put up or shut up' gets a big hand everywhere and -the hit 'em hard kind of speech makes a favorable impression with the crowds who aro immediately under un-der the spell of the presldont. Rca'J in cold type, however, as tho great majority of Americans aro getting the speeches, tho ultimate Impression Is certainly not a good one, Judging from the effects to bo found In Omaha Oma-ha of tho remarks made by Mr. Wilson Wil-son on the days preceding. "The president himself comes In for much prnlBO as tho crowd files out. I overboard many of tho passing pas-sing remarks. 'What wonderful English: what a magnificent flow of language and how easily ho tnlks.' i On the fnco of his audiences, too, nre smiles as occasionally tho president uses a vernacular phrase. They seem pleased to learn that tho man whom thoy had grown to believe wns a recluse re-cluse knows the phrases of poker or tho Blang of colloquial speech. They nro flattered as ho says 'I owe a report re-port of what I did only to you.' CHEEK TO THE ECHO "And they cheor him to tho echo when ho cxclaluiB: 'I would consider myself recreant to every mother and .father, every wife and sweetheart In .this lountry If I consented to tho ending end-ing of this war without n guoranteo . that there would bo no other.' But .they look on with a sort of Impressed .wonder as Mr. Wilson, with drama-, tic touch declares: 'If I felt tunc 1 1 .personally In any way stood In tho way of this settlement I would gladly ,dk that It might ho consummated, t becauso I have a vision that If this thing should by somo mishap not bo .accomplished there woiId rest forever for-ever upon tho fair- name of this peo-jPlo peo-jPlo n stain which could novel- bo cf- faced.' , "Ono would think that emotional appeal of this sort would stir men to I outbursts of forvent approval. Cer- ,tnlnly Mr. Wilson's oratorical powers pow-ers aro extraordinary. But It scorns as if thero Is a natural reaction nowadays now-adays to all patriotic appeal. Pcr-haps Pcr-haps It was tho war, with Its plethora pleth-ora of liborty loan speeches and exhortations ex-hortations to sacrifice, but the old i Fourth of July stuff doesn't get tho gntllng applauso it used to get. "And, while men and women leayo tho hnlls convinced that Mr. Wilson Is working for n great and good j I cause, thoy do not Immediately per-celvo per-celvo tho difference between 'mild roscrvntlontsts' and unqualified supporters sup-porters of the covenant, and thoy aro not bestirred to go out and worry ov-er ov-er the possible fall of tho republic if some senators Insist on reservations which tho presldont himself claims aro merely a change lu language but not In meaning." |
