The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-09-18
WILSON ANSWERS
]. j. SENATE QUERIES
Says He Sees No Reasonable
Objection to Reservations
/: as to League of Nations.
CONFERENCE AT White HOUSE
President Asserts United States
Surrenders No Powers and
May Withdraw at Will

ouj 0lIOCIo w tV"Vs0 0SV
May Withdraw at Will
Washington, Aug. 20.-Pres1dent
Wilson and the members of the for
eign relations committee Of the senate
met at the White House, Tuesday, to
discuss the peace treaty.
The President opened the discus
sion by impressing upon the sena-
tors the urgent ratification Of the
treaty without amendments and with
out reservations that would require
resubmission of the treaty to-. the
other signatories, especially Germany.
The President said that the interest
Of every class Of people, the farmers,
Industrial workers, and employers, de-
uaanded prompt ratification to the end
that stable conditions Of industry, az
r1culture and employment be reesta-
Alishad. The Presidents; address,
which, was in effect to the. country.
follows:
The Prssidsnt's Statement.
hope that. this conference will
serve to expedite your consideration
Of the treaty Of peace. beg that you
viii pardon; and indulge. me II ! again
srge that practically the whole task
It bringing the country back to nor
gal conditions Of life and industry
waits upon the decision of the senate
with regard to the terms of the peace.
venture thus again to urge my adj
vice that the action of the senate
with regard to the treaty be taken at
the earliest practicable moment, be-
cause the problems with which we are
eaoe to face In the readjustment Of our
national life are of. the most pressing
and critical character, will require for
their proper solution the most init
mate and disinterested cooperation Of
I'll parties and all interests, and can
got be postponed without manifest
peril to our people and to all the ma
4onal advantages we held most dear.
Military Plans Wait.
Our military plans, of course, wait
spon it. We cannot intelligently or
wisely decide how large a naval or
Military force we shall. maintain or
what our policy. with regard to mill
.sary training is@to be until we have
6eace, not only, but also until we
know how peace Is to be sustained,
whether by the arms Of single nations
Sr by the concert Of all great peoples,
And there A.is more than that dim
Guilty involved The%vast surplus prop
critics of the army include, not food
" md clothing merely whosex saies$willl
affect normal production, but great
manufacturing establishments, also,
which should be restored to their for
mer uses, great stores of machine
sDols, and all sorts of machinery
which must lie idle until peace and
military policies are definitely deter
nined.
The nations that ratify the treaty,
ouch as Great Britain, Belgium and
france, will be in a position to lay
sheir plans for controlling tho markets
a4 central Europe, without competi-
don from US, if we do not presently
oct. We have no consular agents, no
trade representatives, there to look
after our interests. vt.
Europe in Unsettled Condition.
There are large areas in Europe
whose future will lie uncertain and
questionable until their people know
the final settlements of peace and the
forces which are to administer and
sustain 1t. Without determinate mar
kets5 our production cannot proceed
with intelligence or confidence. There
can be no easy or normal industrial
credits because there can be no con-
adent or permanent revival of bust
ness. There can be no sterilization Of
wages because there can be no settled
condition Of employment.
Every element OF normal life
amongst US depends upon and awaits
che ratification Of the treaty Of peace.
So we cannot afford to lose a single
summers day by not doing all that
We can to mitigate the winters SUI
aering, which, unless we find means
10 prevent 1t, may prove disastrous
20 a large portion of the world, and
may, at the worst, bring upon Europe
conditions even more terrible than
chose brought by the war itself.
Only Doubts Prevail.
Nothing, am led to believe, stands
an the way of the ratification Of the
treaty except doubts with, regard to
che meaning and implication Of GER
aain articles of the covenant of the
ssague of nations; and I must frankly
say that am unable to understand
Why such doubts should be enter
tanned. You will recall that when
had the pleasure of a conference with
your committee and with the commit
Tee of the house Of. representatives :of
foreign affairs at the White House in
March last the questions now most
frequently asked about the League of
Nations were all canvassed,, with a
view to their immediate Qualification
Fhe. covenant Of the league was then
"a its first draft and subtect.-to ,revi-
Apn. 1t was pointed out that no ex-
gress recognition was given to the
Monroe Doctrine, that it was not ex-
press1y provided that the league