The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-12-21
That is the Real Reason forI
President Wilson's Notes to
the BelIigerent Nations.
REASONS ARE MADE PUBLIC
United States Wants to Know.
Exactly What Each Ma
ton is Seeking.


WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.-The
danger of the United States itself be-
ing drawn into the war By reason of
its increasingly critical position as a
neutral was one of the moving con
siderations in President Wilson's de-
spatch of notes to all the belligerents,
urging them to discuss terms of
peace.
Secretary Lansing Thursday au-
thorized the statement that the ma
terial right of the United States had
not been the paramount considera-
tIon. Americas rights, he said, were
being more and more involved by
the belligerents and as the United
States was drawing nearer the verge
of war" 1t was entitled to know ex-
actly what each bel1igerent seeks lin
order that we may regulate our con-
duct in the future"
Secretary Lansing's statement. up
on which the White House refused
to comment was as follows:
The reasons for sending the notes
were as follows:
TT isn't our material interest we
had in mind when the note was sent,
but more and more our own rights
of becoming involved by the belliger-
ents on both sides so that the situa-
tion is becoming increasingly critical.
81 mean by that that we are draw
ing nearer the verge of war our
selves, and therefore we are entitled
to know exactly what each belliger-
ent seeks in order that we may reg
ulate our conduct in the future.
NO nation has been sounded. No
consideration of the German over
lures or of the speech of Lloyd
George was taken into account IN the
+ nF 40 Tho
only thing the overtures did was to
delay it a few days. 1t was not de-
cided to send it until Monday. OF
course, the difficulties that faced the
president were that it might be con-
strued as movement towards peace
and in aid of the German overtureS.
He specifically denies that that was
the fact in the document ITSELF"
At the White House no effort was
made to lessen the Importance of Sec
retary Lansing's statement Presi-
dent Wilson would make no comment.
President Wilson himself on several
occasions has pointed out the danger.
Of the United States becoming in-
volved in the war. Because OF viola.
tions Of American rights he has felt
that the United States had a very
difficult role to fill.
Last February while touring the
middle West in favor of preparedness
and again during the last campaign,
the president touched on that feature.
In a speech at Pittsburg last January
he said:
when you know that there are COM
bustfble materials in the life of the
world and in your own national Inc
and that the sky is full of floating
sparks from great conflagration, are
you going to sit down and say twill be
time when the fire is out to begin to do
something? / do not believe that the.
fire is going to begin, but would be
sure of 1T if we We're ready for the
Again at Cleveland, o., the presi-
dent declared:
..Two-thirds fthe world are at
var It Is not mercy an European
struggle; nations in the Orient have
become involved as nations in the
West, and everywhere there seems to
be creeping upon the nations olsen
gagged the spirit and the threat of.
war. All the world aside from Amer
lea is on fire.
IN one of his campaign speeches
the president declared that the pres
ent was the last great war in which
the United States could remain neu-
tral. He said on that occasion that
the interests or the world were SO
drawn together that it was difficult
for anyone of the nations to remain
neutral when the others were at war.