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Show TEXT OF PRESIDENT'S APPEAL FOR COVENANT TO PEOPLE OF IDAHO CO., KALKXE, 1'Uiho, Spt. 12. l'ruiciuiit Wilson m his .-pc-coh htTe. said in part: Washington is a very interest- ' ln place, but It fa a very lonely J Placo. Tho people of the United States 1 do not liv.3 th.,re and in orrler to know wna thtj ).:op!; of the L'nii.-d Slates are tiunUaiK anout and talking about, it is Ji'tif HiiU'y ""'J cum,i arai Jha out ur 'uur' I havn taken pains since I was a bov s, to 'itnriite myytif in the traditions of Arnnua rhat I Kenerahv Uel a g.jod deal i ''t connd.rt;o wim ih: in.puls.-s which 1 j "id in rny.-elr', our American impulses, j but no niattf-r how thoroughly American I man may 1-, he ne.-ds constantly to renew h.s i.nudi with ail pans o( America Amer-ica and to be sure that his mind ia Ku.dfd. if he be in public station, bv the thoiiL'ht.s -LM,i purposes of his follow country nn:n. , Ve are racing a decision now In which we cannot afford to make a mistake. We must not pt ourselves he deceived as to tho gravity of that decision or as to the implications of that decision. It will mean a ereat deal now, but it will mean nilinltely mure in the future. Confesses Amazement. I must confess that I have been amassed that there are so many in responsible positions who are opposed to the ratification rati-fication r.f the treaty of peace with Germany Ger-many altogether. It is natural that so Rieat a document, full of so many particular par-ticular provisions, should draw criticisms upon itself. It is natural that a world settlement for it is 'nothing- less should Kive occasion for a great difference oi opinion with regard to the particular features of it; but I mu: admit that it annoys me that there should be anyone who should propose that the arrange-' arrange-' merit should be rejected altogether. "We went into this preat war, from which we have just issued, with certain assurances given ourselves and given to the world, and those assurances cannot bo fulfilled unless this treaty is adopted. We told the world and wo assured ourselves our-selves that we went into this war in order to see to it that the kind of purpose pur-pose represented in this war should never be permitted to be accomplished by Germany Ger-many or anybody else. When we went into this war we said that we sent our soldiers across the seas not because we thought this was an American fight in particular, but because we knew that the purpose of Germany was against liberty and that when everybody ev-erybody was seeking liberty it was our duty to go into the contest. To Set an Example. "We set this nation up with the profession profes-sion then that we wanted to set an example ex-ample of liberty not only, but to lead the world m paths of liberty and justice and of right, and after trying to persuade ourselves that this was a European war and nothing more we suddenly looked our own consciences in the face and said, "This is not merely a European war; this is a war which imperils the very principles princi-ples for which this government was set up; and It is our duty to lend them the forces that we have to the resistance of these designs." And it was America never let anybody forget it America who saved the world. If you believe in progress -if you profess reform, if you believe in purifying politics and enlarging the purpose of public policy, then you have got to have a world in which that will be possible. And if America does not enter with all her soul into this new world arrangement, arrange-ment, progressives might as well go out of business. Because there is going to be universal disorder, as there is now universal unrest. And if the order of Europe Is upset, do you tr.lr.k America is going to be quiet? Have you not b.--u reading in trie r'T'ers of ihn intolerable thing that h;.is just happened in i;ostonV When the police of a firtat city v.ii:; out and leave that city to be looted, they have committed com-mitted an intolerable crimo' against civilization. civ-ilization. Where is Program? And it that spirit is going to prevail, I where is our program? How can you carry a program out when every man is looking nut for his own selfish interests inter-ests and refuses to be bound by any law that r.-giirus ih interests of the other? There wiil be no reioi ni in t his world for a generation if the conditions of the world ara not now brought to settled order. And they cannot be brought to settled order without the co-operation of America. 1 can tell you that the on!v people they depend upon to bring the wond to settled conditions are the people of America. I send the challenge out to the conscience con-science of every man in America that, if he knows anything of the conditions of the world and really loves justice, and purposes just reform, he must support sup-port the treaty with Germany. I do not want to say that and have it proved by tragedy. For if this treaty should bo rejected, if it should be impaired, im-paired, then amidst the tragedy of the things that would follow every man would be converted to the things that I am now uttering. Many Things Needed. There are a great many things needing need-ing to be reformed in America. We are in danger at this present moment of minorities mi-norities trying to control our affairs. If you think that you can afford to live in a chaotic world, then speak words of encouragement to the men who are opposing op-posing this treaty. Hut if you want to have your own fortunes held stead v. realize that the fortunes of the world must be held steady; if you want to keep your own boys at home after this terrible ter-rible experience, you will sec that boys elsewhere are kept at home. Because America is not going to refuse, when the other catastrophe comes, again to attempt at-tempt to save the world. We went into this war promising every loving heart in this country who had parted with a beloved be-loved youngster that we were going to fight a war which would make sacrifice unnecessary again. And so, because it is f. moral issue, because be-cause it is an issue in which is mixed up every sort of interest in America, I am not in the least uneasy about the result. There is only one conceivable reason for not liking the treaty and, to me as an American, it is not a conceivable reason, and that is that we should wish to do some nation some great wrong. Would Be Resubmitted. If the senate of the United States passes a resolution of ratification, and says that it ratifies on condition that so and so would be understood, that will have to be resubmitted to every signatory signa-tory of the treaty. And what gravels me ia that it will have to be submitted to the German assembly at Weimar. And i that goes against my digestion. We cannot honorably put anything in that , treaty which Germany has signed and ratified without Germany's consent. There isn't any phrase in the cove- ! nant of the league of nations that can legitimately oe said to be of doubtful meaning. But if the congress of the United States wants to state the meaning mean-ing over again in other words and say to the other nations of the world. "We 1 understand the treaty to mean what it ; is," I think that is a work of superero- j gatlon, but I do not see any moraL ob- I jection to it. |
