Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-04

Columbus, Ohio. Sept. A.
President Wilson, opening his
country wide speaking tour for
the peace treaty, declared in an
address here to-day that his
purpose was 10 ego out and re-
port to my fellow country
men,
"Thc only people ] owe any
report" said the president.
|are You and the other citizens
OF the United States"
The president said it also seemed
increasingly necessary" that he
should make such & report because
he had read many speeches about
the treaty and was unable 10 gather
from them much Of what the treaty
contained.
Speaking to a crowd which jam
med Memorial hall. whose seating
capacity was estimated at 1000, the
presidents declarations frequently
were Interrupted by cheers.
The meeting was presided over
by Or. W. O. Thompson, president
of Ohio State University. and the
president was introduced by former
Governor James r. Campbell. as
the first citizen of the bis round
world"
Glad TO GET to People.
Mr.. Wilson began by saying that
he had "chaffed at the confinement
of Washington" and was glad TO
get out to make his report 10 the
people.
IN the first place, the president
said, the treaty undertook TO pun
ish Germany but there was no
thought to Overwhelmingly crush
any great people.
Restraint had been exercised,
he said. and there was provision
for making the reparation no great
er than Germany could pay.
Mr. Wilson said he had been "as-
tonished" al statements made about
the treaty and was convinced many
of them were made by men who
had not read il or else had failed to
comprehend its meaning,
The League of Nations, the pres
ident declared, was formed tn lul-
fillment Of the 0rOmise that the
United States w. lighting this war
to end business of that sort for
ever" Not to establish the league
he said. would be "unfaithfuI 60
those who had died,
League Only Bar to War.
IF we do not do this thing he
declared, we have neglected the
General covenant we promised our
people The League OF Nations is
the only thing that can preyonr the
recurrence of this catastrophe.
Besides this. the president con
tinued. the treaty tears away the
chains of oppression and gives
small naionalitics the right 10 live
their own lives.
That" he said, was the Amcri-
can position and was glad tu
fight for il
Italy, the president continued,
had presented TO The conference "a
contrary proposal in her request
for Fiume.
Though there were only scattered
Ialiau settlements there, he de-
clared, Italy wanted Fiume for
strategetic and military purposes
II there we're a league Of nations
he asserted Italy would not need
that foothOld.
I'D rather have everybody on my
side" he continued, than be armed
to the teeth
Belongs to Old School.
Referring to criticism that Tho
treaty violated American tradi-
tions, Mr. Wilson said ho was
proud that he. too. belonged o the
old revolutionary school and that
he was following the purposes OF
the vision which the nations IA
theirs had seen.
This treaty is an attempt ~ right
the wrongs OF Europe. said the
president, "and in my humble opin-
ion il is a measurable success.
He used the word measurable,
he added. because racial lines we're
not always distinct and could not
be drawn with absolute precision on
a map.
This was why. he said. some OF
the boundary lines were left 10 be
decided later by the people them
selves. The treaty, he declared, was
shot through with the American
principle of the choice Of the gov
ernment."
The treaty also contains, the
president continued, magma
charta of labor" which would sell
up an intermediate labor organiza-
tion. This organization, he said,
,Fnntir,od ,7, pay, Iei-.,