| Show Kansas City Speech 11 m to n II 0 KANSAS TT A SAS CITY Sept 6 President G.-President l. Wilson said I L came back from Crom Paris bringing one of or the greatest documents of or hu human human hu- hu man history Ono Orto of or tho the things that made mado ade It great eat was that It was penetrated penetrated penetrated pene pene- throughout throughout- with the tho principles which America has hos devoted her life liCe Let me hasten haslen hast n to sa say that one otio ot of tho the most must delightful circumstances of ot the work on tho thA other side of or tho tiro wetter water was that I I discovered that what t we wo called American principles principles' had penetrated penetrated pene peon to the tho heart and to the tho understanding under under- standing s not only nl of ot the great peoples of or Europe but to tho the hearts and understandings un un- 9 of ot tho the great r at men who w were ro representing tho the peoples o of Europe I think that I I can Vay cay a that one of at tho rho things that America has hns had most at nt heart throughout h her r existence has been that there should bo substituted for tor tho the brutal processes of or war tile the friendly proe processes of ot consultation and arbitration and that Is done dono In to th tho tiro covenant of or the lea league sue of ot nations I am nm very oLry that JU my follow tellow citizens should realize that that Is la the th chief chlor topic of ot the covenant of or the tho league of ot nations tho the greater part of or its ItH provisions The whole Intent and ond purpose of or the document nt are arc expressed In provisions by which all th the s agree that they will wUl never go to war without without without with with- out first having done one ono or tho lie other of ot two things either submitted the to arbitration IrI matter In rn controversy contro In which case caso they agree agree- to abide b by the tho I verdict or It t to discussion in n the counsel counselor of the league of oC nations nallon and anti for tor that purpose they consent to allow six months for or the discussion and whether thc they like 1110 the opinion expressed expressed ex ex- ex pressed or not that they will not goto so go soto 0 to war for three months month after aCter that th lt opening has been expressed So that rou ou have ave whether you OU got ot otar ar arbitration or not nine months months' and I want to tu remind you OU that that Is tho the e central principle principIa o of at f somo some thirty treaties entered Into between lie tho United States of or America and some somo thirty other so sovereign nations all of oC which are ore confirmed by th the Senate Senat of ot the United Stat States ll Cites Existing Treaties Wo We 10 have hn such a. a an a agreement nt with I France wo we have hn such an agreement a with th Groat Grent Britain wo we have such an an agreement with practically every great nation et except ept Germany Gt which refused r I to enter Into such uh an nit L arrangement b because bc- bc cause caUle m my follow fellow citizens d knew that she sho Intended something ROn that didn't boar dl discussion ru Ion and that If It she submitted the purpose which led Jed to this war w r to so HO o much aa as o one e months month's discussion slon she ehe nevor would havo have dared go JO Into the enterprise against t mankind which she finally did go BO Into applause and nu therefore I s sly M Y this principle of or discussion Is s the tho principle already adopted by 11 America And what la Js the tho compulsion to do this The compulsion li is this that It Ir Iran an any member state violates that promise prom Iso to submit either to arbitration or discussion dis dis- discussion It is thereby Ipso facto deemed to have ha committed an act of ot war I against all the rest Then you OU will ask do o do I wo we at t on once c I take tuk o up arms and tight fight them No lo We 0 do something cr very very much moro terrible than that We Yc absolutely absolute absolute- ly boycott t t them he In Lot Let any my merchant t put up to himself that lint If ho enters Into a covenant and then breaks It and the people all around absolutely desert hi his establishment and anti will havo have nothing to do with him ask him after that lint If It t it will bo ho necessary necessary tiar sary to tu send end tho the police Tho The most terrible thing that can enn happen to an any nn Individual and tho the most conclusive thing that can happen to toa toa toa a nation Is to be bo read rend out of oC decent society applause Concerning Disarmament There Thur was another thing that we needed to accomplish that Is 18 accomplished accomplished In this document We Ve wanted disarmament and antl this document nt provides pro pro- vides vidos in the tho only possible WO way for tor disarmament ills dis armament by common agreement nt Observe Observe Ob Ob- serve ser my fellow citizens that Just now every er great CI fighting nation In Inthe inthe the world worM Is a Q member of or this partnership partnership partnership partner partner- ship except Germany German and Inasmuch as Germany German has hns accepted a n limitation of ot her arm army to men I dont don't think for the tho time being she ma may be regarded re regarded re- re as a n. great fI fighting nation Arid pd you know leno lenom m my follow fellow citizens that armaments mean great standing armies and great reat stores of or war material mate mate- rial Tho They do not noL mean burdensome taxation mere merely the they do not moan merel merely compulsory military service which saps the tho economic strength of oC the tho nation but the thc they mean the building up o of a iL military class Again anti and again my fellow tello citizens In tho the conference at Paris we were taco faco to face with Mth this situation On dealing with a particular civil government we wo fount that they would T not riot dare daro to promise what their g gene n eral staff was not willing that they should promise and that thC the they were dominated b by the tho military machine machine- which the they hail had created nominally for their own defense but really whether they willed It or not not for for the Hie pro provocation o oca a lion tion Olt of varAnd war Wor And so 80 as long long- longas as you ou havo have a n military mill mili tar tary cl elite It does docs not make n any what your our form of ot government govern govern- govern govern- mint ment t Is It If we wo ure are determined to be armed to thc the teeth you OU must obe obey tho the orders order nn and directions lon of ot the only men who can Clin control the I teat machinery ml of ot war It ItIs ItIs ItIs Is not not merely merel the tho cost of ot It armament armament armament arma arma- ment although that IB is overwhelming but it t Is the spirit of or It and America has hns never had had and and I 1 hope in In the cA on luo Iago 4 1 t Kansas City Speech 1 Continued from Page Pago 1 of ot GoJ GoI never will have that have that spirit Great applause And there thero Is no other way ay to dis- dis penso with great armaments except by the common agreement ot of of- the fighting nations of at tho the world orld And hero here Is the agreement emont They Thc promise disarmament and promise to agree upon a n Plan phin But Bul there was something else we wanted anted that Is accomplished b by this treat treaty Autocratic AU Authority ty We wanted to destroy autocratic I authority everywhere e in the tho Wo Vo wanted to lo ace seo to it that there was no flO 1 place In the world where hero a small group roup of ot men could use their fellow citizens as ns pawns in a game that there thero was saS no in the world where a small group roup of ot men without consulting their fellow citizens could send their fellow citizens citi zens to the battle field and to deal dealIn In accomplishing something dynastic sonic some political plan that hid had b bon been cn conceived con con- In private some Borne object that had been universal worldwide world world- prepared for b by wide vilo Intrigue That is what we wanted to Th The Tue most startling thing thinS that developed Hi et telf elf at the opening of ot our participation In this war ar was not the military preparation of oC Germany we Germany we ro familiar with that though thought we e hud ud been dreaming that she sho would not use it but It but her political preparation to that very community in tho the civilized world orId was penetrated by her intrigue The German people did not know that but It was known In whore where the central offices of or ortho tho the German government gO were wore and was the master of the German people and this war war my fel fellow ellow el- el the tho German German Ger Ocr low citizens has hns emancipated man people as well as the rest of or the world Wo We dont don't want to see eee anything anything- like that done again because wo We know that democracy will only have to de destroy destroy de- de atro stroy that form of at government bO and If we dont don't destroy it no now tho the job is still to be dono and arid b by a combination of ot all the tho great Grent fighting peoples of oC tho the world to see soe to It that the aggressive e purposes purposes purposes pur pur- poses of oC such government cannot be realized you OU make moke It no longer worth worthwhile while for little groups of oC men to contrive contrive con con- tho downfall of oC civilization in private conference Minority l Government My r fellow citizens It does docs not make mako any difference what l kind o of a minorIty minorIty minority minor minor- ity governs you ou if It it is a minority And the thing thins we must see sec to is that no minority anywhere masters tho the ma ma- That is at tho the heart m my fellow fel fel- ci- ci low Jow citizens of oC the tho things that are arc happening in that great country country coun court try which we lon long tl to help and can find no wa way that is effective e to help help help- I mean the tho great realm of or Russia The men who arc are now measurably In control of or tho the affairs of Russia represent sent nobody but themselves They have o again and again been challenged to call a constitutional convention con con- The They have again and again been challenged to prove that they had bad some J kind of ot a mandate even from a single class cluss of oC their fellow citizens And the they dared not attempt It they thoy have ha no mandate from anybody They Thoy aro are only onh thirty four of or them I am told and th there re were more than thirtyfour thirtyfour thir thir- four ty-four men who used to control the destinies of ot Europe from Wilhelm- Wilhelm strasse Thero There Is a closer monopoly of ot power In Petrograd and Moscow than there ever was In Berlin Derlin and the thing that thatIs Is Intolerable Is not that the tho Russian I people are having ln their way but that another group of ot men more cruel truel than I the czar himself is controlling the destinies destinies des des- of oC that great people And I want ant to say here hero and now no that I am against the control b by the minority mi ml- anywhere Search your own economic history and what have you been uneasy about Now ow and again you ou have ha said there were small groups g of Qt capitalists who were ero controlling controlling- the tho Industry and therefore the development de of ot tho the United Unit UnIe- fellow citizens citi citi- ed cd States Seriously m my zens If that is so and I 1 sometimes r have feared I that It was wo we must I break up that monopoly I am not now saying that there thero Is Is' Is Isan an any group of ot our fellow citizens who I Iare are consciously doln doing anything of or the thc kind but I 1 am sa saying ing that these al allegations allegations al- al I legations must be proved But Dut 1 If it is proved that any class nn any group anywhere Is without the tho tuff stiff rage of or their fellow cHow citizens In control control control con con- of or our affairs then I am with to destroy tho the power of oC that groupe group We e have got hOt to be frank with ourselves ourselves ourselves our our- selves however If It we sc do not t want minority government in Germany German we must see seo to lo it that wo we do not ha have haIt Itin it itin itin in the United States If IC you OU do not want little littie groups of oC selfish men to plot the future of at Europe Europe Eu Eu- rope ropo we must not allow little groups of men to plot the future of oC America Any man that speaks for a class must prove pro that he lie al also o speaks for all his hla fellow follow citizens and for mankind and then we will listen to him Helpless Peoples Then there was as another thing thinS we wanted to do m my rn fellow citizens that thatis is done In this document Wo We 0 wanted I Ito to Beo see BOO that helpless ss people were no nowhere nowhere no no- where hero in tho the world put at the tho merc mercy of or unscrupulous enemies and masters There is one pitiful example which Is in tho the hearts of at all aU of or us I mean the example of ot Armenia J There wits was a Christian people helpless helpless help help- less Jess at the mercy of a Turkish government gov sov- which thought it tho service of or God to lo destroy them And at this moment m my fellow citizens It is an nn I open question whether tho Armenian people will not while we sit sll here hero and debate be absolutely destroyed When hen I think of or words piled on en words of or debate following debate when these thebo unspeakable things that cannot be handled until the tho debate debato is over aro are happening In these pitiful parts Of br the world I won wonder er that mendo men mendo mendo do not wake up to the tho moral of oC what they are aro doln doing Great peoples nr are driven out upon a desert where there is no food tood and can be bo n none nc and they aro are compelled to die dlo and then men women and children children chil chil- dren thrown Into a common grave so 80 Imperfectly covered up that hero here and thero there is a a. pitiful arm stretched out to heaven and there Is no pity In the tho Then shall han we wake to tho the moral ro- ro of or this great occasion n And so so my follow fellow citizens there thero arc are other other to that matt mattei matter r. r Not all an the populations that are hasing having has hav ing something r. r that is not a square deal lived In Armenia J There are oth oth- ers era And oni of at tho the glories of oC the great t document which I brought back backwith backwith backwith with mo me Is this That everywhere within tho the area of at settlement covered by bY bYtho tho the political questions involved In that treaty people people peo peo- plo of or that sort have been given their freedom and guaranteed u their freedom But the tho thing thinS does docs not end there be because because bo- bo cause causo tho treaty includes Include the covenant of or tho the league of ot nations And what docs does that say That says that it is tho the privilege nehe of or oran an any member state to call U attention to anything anywhere that Is la likely Weely to disturb the peace of the world or the tho good understanding understanding- between nations upon which the peace of or the tho world de depends depends do- do and every evory people in tho the world that have havo not got ot what they thoy think they ought to have is thereby given givena a world forum Corum in which to bring the tho thing to tho bar of or mankind There never before has been provided pro provid ed Cd a n. world forum Corum in which the legitimate legitimate legitimate mate grievances rIe of or peoples entitled to consideration can bo be brought to tho the common Judgment of ot mankind And If It I were the advocate of ot any my I suppressed or oppressed people I surely sure sure- ly Jy could not ask any better forum torum than to stand up before the world and challenge challenge chal chal- lenge |
