| Show PRESIDENT MARES PLEA FOR TREATY SENATE makes assertion that league of free nations has become practical necessity MEANS RELIEF FROM WAR alof executive refers refer to it as s an indispensable instrumentality for the maintenance of shenew order set up in world washington july 10 the senate was called into session at 12 and prayer offered by the chaplain hev forrest J prettyman who asked divine guidance for the senate and the c hief chief executive in the work it was about to undertake Preal president dent wilson spoke from a small rostrum created by the lie desk of the reading clerk of the senate nis dis address was as follows gentlemen of the senate the treaty of peace with germany was signed at versailles on the ot of june I 1 avail myself of the earliest opportunity to lay the treaty before you for ratification and to inform you with regard to the work or of the conference by which that treaty was formulated the treaty constitutes nothing less than a world settlement it would not bo be possible for me oven even to summarize or to construe its manifold provisions in an address which must of necessity be something less wart than a tre treatise nilse sly services vices and all the information I 1 po possess will be at your disposal and at the of your committee on foreign relations at any time el elthier t ter informally 0 or r in session HS you may prefer and I 1 hope thal tha you will not hesitate to make use of them I 1 shall at this time prior to your own study of the document attempt only a general characterization of its ita scope and purpose problem s of conference in one sense no doubt there here la Is no need that I 1 should report to you what was attempted and done at paris you have been dally what was go ingon there of the atie problems p rob leins with which the peace conference lind to deal and of the difficulty of laying down L straight lines of settlement anywhere on a field n on n which the old line international ter relationship and the new alike followed so intricate a pattern and were for the most part cut so deep by historical circumstances which dominated action where it would have been best to ignore or reverse them the cross currents cus mento of politics and of interest must have bave been evident to you it would be presuming in inq me to attempt to explain the questions which s arose or the many diverse elements element 8 that entered into them I 1 shall attempt something less ambitious i than that and more clearly suggested by my duty to report to the lie congress the part it seemed necessary for my colleagues and me to play as aa the representatives of the government of the lie united states that abat part was Alc tinted ty by tile role america has played in the war and by the expectations that had been created in the minds of tile peoples people 4 with whom when w we had associated ourselves in ili that great At struggle ruggle saw supremacy of right perilea periled peri led the united states entered tho the war upon it a different footing footling front from every mthr nation except our associates on oil this side the ohp sea wo we entered it not because our material interests were directly threatened or because silly anny special treaty obligations to which we were parties had bad been vlola violated ted but bill only because we saw the supremacy and even the validity of right everywhere put in jeopardy and free government likely to be everywhere imperiled by the intolerable of n power which respected neither right nor obligation aud asid whose very system of government flouted the rights lights of the citizens as against the lie autocratic authority of his governors and in the settlements of the pence we have sought no special pedal reparation for ourselves hut but only tile restoration of right and the assurance of liberty everywhere that the lie effects of the settlement clement were to bo be felt we entered tile the war as tile the cham champions of right aind we interested ourselves in the terms of the pence ln in no other capacity united states timely aid the hopes belles of the lie nations allied against tile the central powers were at 1 t very low ebb when our soldiers began to pour across the sea there was everywhere ery where amongst them except in lifar lct spir spirits ils a somber foreboding of disaster the war ended in november eight months ago but you have only to recall what wits was feared jn in midsummer last only four short months before the armistice to realize what it was that our timely aid accomplished alike for their morale and their physical safety the first alever ever to tic lic forgotten forgotten action at chateau thierry had bold already token takers place our redoubtable soldiers find marines had bad already closed tile the g gap p tho the enemy had succeeded in opening 1 n g for their advance upon paris hold had al turned the tide of battle back toward the frontiers of france and begun lie he rout that was to to save are VU u rope and the he world thereafter tile germans were to be always forced back back were never to thrust ill successfully cess fully forward again and yet there wn was 9 no confident hope anxious men lit e n and woollen women lending leading spirits of fr france nce attended the celebration brott lon of the fourth courtl I 1 or july last lear in paris out of generous courtey courtesy with no henrt heart for little test teat 1 of hope hut but they came away w with something new at their hearts they lime have themselves told lit it so tells of feeling men created the mere inere sight bight of our men luell of their vigor of tile the confidence that showed itself in every movement of their stalwart figures anti and every turn of their swinging 5 march lit in their steady comprehending reli 1 pre i eyes and easy discipline in I 1 lie indomitable air that alint added spirit to everything they did holade everyone who saw them that hut memorable day realize that something had happened that eliat was much more than man a mere incident in tile the fighting something very different from the lie mere inere arrival rival of 0 fresh troops A great moral force had hung filing itself into the struggle tile the fine force of those spirited nien men spoke of something snore moro than bodily vigor they carried the lie great ideals of a free people tit at their heir hearts anti and with that vision were unconquerable their very 1 presence cresence brought reassurance their fighting made victory certain they were recognized ns as crusaders and as their thousands swelled to millions their heir strength was seen to menu mean salvation anil and they were fit men to carry such a hope and make good the assurance it forecast finer men never went into battle and their officers leers off were worthy of them comrades comrade in great cause this Is not the occasion caslon upon which to utter litter a eulogy of the lie armies america sent to france but perhaps since I 1 am speaking of their mission I 1 may speak also of the pride I 1 shared with every american who saw or dealt with them there they were tile sort of men den america would wish to be represented by the he sort of tuen men every amerlean american w would P uld wish to claim ns as f fellow ellow I 1 countrymen and comrades in a great cause caus they were terrible in battle and ge gentle antle and helpful out of it remembering the mothers and the listers al the wives and tile the little children ut home bottle tiey they were free men under arms arins not forgetting their idellis ideals of duty in the midst midat of tasks of violence I 1 am proud to the privilege of being associated soc socia ted with them and ot of calling myself their leader 1 duty to quiet fears fear of tadd and the compulsion 0 of f what ah they y stood for or was wa upon us its who represented america at the pence peace table it was our duty to see to it th that at egiy every decision we took part in contri contributed butell so far as we were able to influence it to quiet the fears and realize the hopes of tile the peoples who alto had been living in that shadow tile the nations that hall had come by our assistance to their freedom it was our duty to tie do everything that it was within 0 our ur power poor to do to make the triumph I 1 of fie edoin load of right it 11 lasting tr triumph in tile the assurance suro ince of which nien men might everywhere live without fear old entanglements entangle ments of every kind stood in the way pros promises ulses which gov ern menth had find made to one another in the days when might unit und right were confused solid and the power of the lie victor was without restraint which contemplated any depositions of territory any extensions of sov that hint might seem to ile be to the interact Int erect of those hose who and the power to insist upon them had been entered into without thought of what the peoples concerned might inight wish or profit by and these could not always ile ho honorably brushed aside it wn wag not easy to graft the new order of ideas on oil the old and some settle of tile he fruit of f the grafting roay may I 1 fear for a time be bitter thrust upon conference cheso were not tasks which uio the conference looked nebout to fend oil ail went out olit of its way to perform they were inseparable from aroln the settlements of pence they were thrust upon it by circumstances which could not bo be overlooked tile the war had created them in nil all quarters of the lie world old established relationships s lind had been lw disturbed or broken and were nt at loose ends needing to be mended or united figall but could riot not tie be ia alint they were before they had bad to bo be set right by applying some uniform tini forill principle of justlee justice or expediency ped ency lency anti and they could not be adjusted hy by merely prescribing in a treaty what should be done new states were to be set act tip lip which could not hope to live Ur Rl gil their first period of weakness without n assured support ly by the grent great nations lint lind had consented to their heir creation and won for foi them their independence ill governed col colonies onles could not lie be put in tile alie hanis hands of governments willell which were to net as trustees for their peo pit and not ns as their heir masters master if there wits was to be no common authority ii iniS tile the notions nations to which they were to be responsible in the iho execution of their trusta fulls future re international conventions with will regard to the control of waterways with regard to illicit traina of mony many kinds in arms or in drugs or with regard to the adjustment of ninny many varying administrative arrangements could no not be assur edff tho the treaty were to provide no derai permanent anin t comi common tion international nat lonal agency if its ita execution in I 1 such matters was to bo be left to tho the slow and uncertain processes of cooperation by ordinary methods of nc 0 o got lation would forbid new moves I 1 it if the peace conference WM wag to be the pud end of operative cooperative co authority and common counsel among the gov to which the ho world was look ing to enforce enforce justice and give eire pledges of till nn enduring Fet ett lement regions like tile beslu baalu could not be rut post under it temporary administrative re which dill did not involve n transfer of sovereignty and which contemplated it final determination of its political ty fly popular etc to be taken at it distant dote data no fr fre T city like 1 ig could lift bp cre tell which was under ein borato international guarantees guaranties guaran ties to accept exceptional obligations with regard to t the he uso U it so of it 11 4 port and exceptional rt relations 1 n with it state of which it t was 1 not 0 to form forin a part properly safeguarded plebiscites could not be provided for where populations kopul fit bolls lolls were at some fu fit turo ture date to make choice what sovereignty they would live under no certain mid uniform method of arbitha arb itra ion flon could be 10 secured for the settlement of anticipated difficulties or of tit final al de decision cislon with regard to ninny many matters dealt with in the treaty itself tits ha long continued supervision of tile the task of reparation repa ratton which Oer ninny was to undertake to complete within tile the next generation might entirely break breakdown town the reconsideration and revision of administrative arrangements and restrictions which tile the treaty prescribed but which it was mas recognized might not proe of lusting lasting advantage or entirely fair if too long enforced would be lin practicable A league of free nations hold become a practical necessity examine tile the treaty of pence peace and you will find that everywhere throughout its manifold fold provisions its fra framers iners have felt obliged to turn to the hie league of nations no nn all indispensable instrumentality for the he maintenance of tile ho new order it lins has been their purpose to set ret up in fit the world the world of civilized men inen that there should be a league 0 of nations to steady the lie counsels and maintain the peaceful of tile world to make riot not treat lei alone hut but the accepted of international law as well tile lie actual rulo rule of conduct among tile governments ments of the lie world has fins been one of the lie agreements accepted from till ha first as the basis of peace with the lie central powers power wr war statesmen agreed the statesmen of all the belligerent countr countries jes i were agreed that such it league must ile he created to sustain the settlements that were to be effected but tit nt firak I 1 think there was a feeling I 1 ng ani among 9 i some monie of them that while I 1 it t ill must alt at beat 0 o I 1 t empkey the formation of such a beug leug tie wag perhaps a counsel of perfection practical men long es prence inthe world of aff affairs idro must agape to very cautiously lint and with many it wits only as the difficult work of arranging tin till all but universal adjustment ment of the world niTi an tirs advanced from day to day from froin ono one stage of oc conference to another that lint it because became evident to them that what the they were seeing would be little more than something written upon paper to be interpreted and applied by such oda as 09 the chances of politics might make available if they did not provide a menus of common counsel which all were obliged to accept a common authority whose decisions would bo be recognized as decisions which till all must respect skeptical skeptic turn to league and so the most practical the most skeptical among thein turned wore more and ni oreto tile the league an tho author ity through which international notion action was it to be secured the without which its as they had como come to see it it would be difficult dini cult to give assured effect to this treaty or orto to any other international ter understand understanding lijo upon which they fi ey f were to decuna for the maintenance 1 of peace the most practical of tile con forces fel ee i were vere tit lit last tile the most ready to to the league of nations nut ions the 8 of ull till interests which lid did not admit of allu immediate ill edla ie of till nil problems which were to require it continuing oversight what had bad tiffiney tiff ined a counsel of perfect imi ind had come to 0 o seem it plain counsel of necessity till tho league of nations was the lie practical state states mans hope of success in ill ninny of tile the most things illings lie was attempt ilig anti and it had validated itself lit in the lie thought of 0 very every member of tile hie conference nn its something inucci bigger much greater every way ann than a jevre juvre ni ie instrument for carrying out lie ill provisions of n particular it wun was universally recognized recognize chilt alint till all tile llie people 9 of lie |
