The Red Cloud chief., 1919-03-13
WILSON SAYS
PEOPLE FAVOR
PEACE LEAGUE
Speaks to Audience Of 5000 Per-
sons in the Metropolitan
Opera House.
HITS CRITICS OF COVENANT
Declares They Evidently Have Not oh.
served the Temper Of the World or
Of the Boys in khaki-Fre-
quently interrupted by
Applause.

QutHt'y 'ntcFIupNSo W
Applause.
New York March j.--On the eve OF
his return To Paris President Wilson
told nn audience of 5000 persons In
the Metropolitan opera house thnt he
was convinced that the majority of the
people were in favor of the league of
nations.
His openin" assertion, II won't come
back till It's over, over there" won
the approval of his hearers.
There was deafcning applause at the
conclusion of the speech when the
president, speaking of the aims of the
conference, said:
God give us the strength and vision
to do i, wisely. God give us the priv
ilcCc of knowing that we did " with
out counting the cost and mecause we
were true Americans, lovers of liberty
and of the right"
Mr. Taft, In his speech, indorsed the
presidents plans for league of ma
tions. The practicability of the pro-
l''"'h ''N'ii'lill was 'NlIuillth NY hi =
Taft. The boycott. he asserted, would
he an effective weapon against any
nation refusing To abide by decisions
of the league.
The Monroe doctrine, Mr.. Taft said,
had been subjected to many varying
interpretations.
What the President Said.
The band struck up cover There"
us the president stepped forward to
speak.
"My fellow citizens, | accept the in
timntion of the air just played; l will
not come back TIL it's over. over
there (Applause) And yet pray
God in the interests of peace and of
the world that that may he soon. CAP
plause.) The first thing ! am going
to tell the people on the other side of
the water is that an overwhelming
majority of the American people is in
favor of the league of nations. Cap
plause.) | know that that is true. /
have had unmstakable intimatiOns of
il from all parts of the country and
account myself fortunate to speak here
under the unusual circumstances Of
this evening. | am happy to associate
myself with Mr.. Taft in this great
cause. (Applause) lie has displayed
an elevation of view and II devotion TO
public duty which is beyond praise.
Appause) And am the more happy
because this means that this is not Il
party issue. (Applause) No party
has the right to appropriate this issue
and no party will I'm the long run dare
oppose it. (Applause,)
1--WE have listened to so clear and
admirable an exposition of many of
the main features of the proposed COW
enant of the league of nations that
It is perhaps not necessary for me to
discuss i'm any particular way the con-
tents of the document. l will seek
rather to give you its setting. do
not know when ! have been more i'm
pressed than by the conferences of the
commission set up by the conference
!Of peace to draw up q covenant for
the league of nations. The represent
.atives of fourteen nations sat around
that bOard-nOt young men, not men
inexperienced In the affairs Of their
own countries, not men inexperienced
I'm the politics of the wOrld-and the in
spring influence of every meeting was
the concurrence Of purpose on the part
of all those men to come to an agree
ment and an effective working agree.
ment with regard to this league of the
civilized world. There was conyic.
tion in the whole impulse. There was
conviction of more than one sort
There was the conviction that this
thing ought 10 be done, and there was
also the conviction that not man
there would venture to go home and
say that he had not tried to do II.
1--WE have been hearing for all these
weary months that this agony Of wal
has tasted OF the sinister purpose OF
the central empires. The Austro- Hun
garian empire has gone to pieces and
the Turkish empire has disappeared
(Applause) and the nations that eff
fected that great result-fOr Il was q
result of liberation-are now RESPONSE
BILE as the trustees of the assets OF
those great nations. (Applause).
zone of the things that the league OF
nations is intended to watch is tn,
course of intrigue. Intrigue cannot
stand publicity and If the league OF
nations were nothing but great de
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