The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-09-08
PRESIDENT WILSON'S
OMAHA SPEECH
CONTINUED from page u

OMAHA SPEECH
(Continued from page H.
expressing the thoughts Of America;
that we were working for the interests
and the things that America believed
in, and l have come here TO TESTIFY
that this treaty contains the things
that America believes in. (Applause).
l brought copy of thar treaty along
with me, for fancied that in view OF
the criticisms you have heard OF II,
you have thought that it consisted OF
only four or five clauses. Only four
or five clauses out OF this volume are
picked out for criticism. Only four %
five phrases In 1t are called to your
attention by some of the different ora
tors, who oppose Its adoption.
Why. my fellow citizens, this Is one
OF the greatest charters OF human lib
erty, and the man that picks flaws m
! 1t, or rather, that picks out the flaws
that are in it-for there are flaws IN
| it-because of the magnitude Of the
thing and because Of the majesty OF
the interests involved. He forgets the
magnitude of the thing and forgets the
majesty of the interests therein, ne
| forgets that the counsels Of more than
twenty nations combined and were
rendered unanimous in the adoption Oh
this great instrument.
! Everybody admits that 1t is com
plete settlemet Of the matters whlcn
led up to this war, and that 1t con-
tains the complete machinery wnich
provides that 1t shall stay settled,
| You know, one of the greatest difrl-
culties in our own domestic affairs, al
unsettled land titles. Suppose that
somebody were mischievously to tam
per with the land records, OF the state
of Nebraska and that there should pe
a doubt as to the lines OF every farm.
You know what would happen. WITHIN
six months all the farmers would ne
sitting on their fences with snot
gun. Litigation would penetrate every
| community, hot feeling would De Gen
erated-contests not of lawyers but OF
the farmers themselves, would arise.
One of the interesting things that
this treaty does is to settle the lano
titles of Europe and to settle them III
this way, on the principles that land
belongs to the people that live in IT,.
This is actually the first time In
human history that that principle was
ever recognized and yet that Is the
right of the people that live In the
country to say what shall be done
with that country.
We have gone so far in our asscr-
lions of the popular right that we not
only say that the people have the
right to have a government or their
own that satisfies them, but that they
have the right to change 1t In any
respect. at any time. Very well. That
principle lies at the heart OF the
/ treaty. There are people in Europe
who never before could say that tne
land they lived on was their own anu
that the choice they would make Oh
their lives was their own choice.
! / know there are men in Nebraska
who came from that country OF tragi-
cal history, the now restored repuphc
of Poland. and ! want to call your at
tention to the fact that Poland Is mere
given her complete restitution and not
only is she given land that formerly
| belonged to the Poles but she Is given
the lands which were occupied py the
Poles and row are occupied by anu
had been permitted to remain unoer
other sovereigns, and she is given tnat
! land under principle that all OF our
hearts approve of. You take whaI IN
Europe they call High Silesia. the
miner. norton of the district OF Sllesia-
The very great majority of the people
in High Selesia are Poles and the
Germans contested the statement tnat
most Of them were Poles. We said:
every well, then, it is none OF our
business. and we will let them decide
It We will put sufficient armed
forces into High Silesia to see that
nobody hampers with the process OF
the election and then will hold re-
| ferendum there and those people can
belong either to Germany or Poland,
as they prefer, and not as we prefer
| And wherever there was doubt
full district we applied the same prin-
ciple-that the people should decide
and not the men sitting around the
peace table at Paris.
So that. when these referendums
are completed the land titles Of Eu-
rope will be settled and every coun-
try will belong to the people that live
on it, to do with it what thy please.
Now, you seldom hear of this ASPECT
of this treaty. You have heard of the
council that the newspaper men call
! the "big four" We have very much
bigger name for it than that. We cal.
ourselves the Supreme Council of me
principal allied and associated powers.
But we had no official title and some
times there were five of US instead OF
four. But those represented, with the
exception of Germany were the great
fighting nations Of the world. They
could have done anything with this
treaty that they chose to do because
they had the power to do what they
wished and they chose to do what had
never been chosen before-to re-
nounce every right of sovereignty in
that settlement to which the people
concerned did not assent.
| That is the great settlement, which
is represented in this volume and 1t
contains among other things a great
charter of liberty for the working
men of the world.
For the first time in the history
of the councils Of mankind, they are
| to be drawn together and concerted
J e - 1afn