February 10th — later

Irritated by a statement in an English paper today to the effect that the disapproval of many Senators already formally, if not officially, expressed boded no good to the Covenant and made its acceptance by Congress uncertain, the President expressed his dissent—indeed his indignation. “Those Senators do not know what the people are thinking,” he insisted. “They are as far from the people, the great mass of our people, as I am from Mars. Indeed they are out of touch with the thinking, forward-looking masses of people throughout the world. Naturally they cannot understand them.”

House shares the President’s optimism, that is up to a certain degree. He regrets Wilson did not bring with him to Paris Mr. Root or someone of standing and authority in the Republican party. Then the responsibility and later the glory would be bi-partisan. He hears from political observers that many at home think the President is seeking a personal or at all events a party success, and further that very few of them have a very clear idea of the President’s purpose and his high objective. Mr. Kohlsaat, the editor, whom the Colonel regards as a keen observer, writes from Chicago, “I think the great majority of our people are still behind the President—but I fear they are very far behind him.” House did not like that. He is sending to some of his , friends, including Kohlsaat, memoranda and reports on the actual situation which he hopes will dispell the darkness in which he thinks they are groping.

Later

Larnaude said this evening he was anxious to know who or what body would pass upon the question, sure to arise frequently, “Is a treaty inconsistent with the Covenant?” Would it be the Council or a special tribunal? The President answered promptly: “The decision will lie with the court of public opinion.” Larnaude trembled with pent-up emotion. He is reported to have said sotto voce to Bourgeois, “Tell me, mon ami, am I at the Peace Conference or in a madhouse?” It was an aside, so we did not have to take it up, but of course we gathered that the dean of the Paris law school has a very poor opinion of the Court of Public Opinion. Orlando now delivered himself of a lengthy dissertation as to the difficulties that lowered in the path the President was determined to pursue. Orlando dragged in a mention of Metternich which irritated the President. “We should not allow ourselves to be impressed by what may or may not have happened in the past, nor should we dwell on former failures. Our task is to build for the future,” said the President.

A few minutes later a sigh of relief passed around the table. The President announced that now all the articles of the draft had been gone over once. Everyone was pleased, and all chose to forget that an imposing mass of amendments and additions were piling up on the desk of the drafting committee. Battles royal would be fought before all these were “ironed out,” to use the Colonel’s favorite phrase for this work in which he is most certainly the outstanding champion.