Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-08-27
WILSON ANSWERS
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

"SSAy VBlkIlOl 0tv al VIII
Washington, Aug. 20.-President
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-
manded prompt ratification to the end
that stable conditions Of industry, az
riculture and employment be reesta-
blished. The Presidents address
which was in effect to the country,
follows:
The Presidents Statement.
l hope that this conference will
serve to expedite your consideration
OF the treaty of peace. l beg that you
will pardon and indulge me if l. again
urge that practically the whole task
of bringing the country back to nor,
NAL conditions of life and industry
waits upon the decision of the senate
with regard to the terms of the peace.
l venture thus again to urge my ad.
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
face 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
all parties and all interests, and can.
not be postponed without manifest
peril to our people and to all the ma.
tlonal advantages we held most dear,
Military Plans Wait.
Our military plans, of course, wait
upon 1t. We cannot intelligently or
wisely decide how large a naval or
military force we shall maintain or
what our policy with regard to mill
tary training is to be until we have
peace, not only, but also until we
know how peace is to be sustained,
whether by the arms of single nations
or by the concert Of all great peoples,
And there is more than that diff
Guilty involved The vast surplus prop-
critics of the army include, not food
and clothing merely, whose sale will
AFFECT normal production, but great
manufacturing establishments also,
which should be restored to their for.
mer uses, great stores of machine
tools, and all sorts of machinery
which must lie idle until peace and
military policies are definitely deter.
mined.
The nations that ratify the treaty,
such as Great Britain, Belgium and
France, will be in a position to lay
their plans for controlling the markets
OF central Europe, without competi-
ton from us, If we do not presently
act. We have no consular agents, no
trade representatives, there to look
after our interests.
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 it. Without determinate mar.
kets our production cannot proceed
with intelligence or confidence. There
can be no easy or normal industrial
credits because there can be no con.
fldent 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
the 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
fering, which, unless we find means
to prevent it, may prove disastrous
to large portion Of the world and
may, at the worst, bring upon Europe
conditions even more terrible than
those brought by the war itself.
Only Doubts Prevail.
Nothing, am led to believe, stands
In the way of the ratification of the
treaty except doubts with regard to
the meaning and implication OF Ger.
tain articles of the covenant of the
league of nations; and l must frankly
say that I am unable to understand
why such doubts should be enter
tanned. You will recall that when
had the pleasure of 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
view to their immediate Qualification.
The covenant of the league was then
in its first draft and subject to revi-
sion. 1t was pointed out that no ex-
press recognition was given to the
Monroe Doctrine, that it was not ex-
oressly provided that the league
Mould have no authority to act or to
press Judgment on matters of do.
''estic policy. that the right to with
draw from the league was not ex.
pressly recognized and the constitu.
t1ona1 rights of the Congress to deter
mine all questions OF peace and war
was not sufficiently safeguarded. On
my return to Paris all these matters
were taken up again by the commits
sion on the League OF Nations and
every suggestion of the United States
was accepted.
No Interference With Monroe