Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-09-04
"Mr. Chairman, Governor Campbell
and my fellow citizens:

IL is with very profound pleasure
that I find myself face to face with
the confinement of Washington.
have for long time wished to fulfill
the purpose with which my heart was
full when returned to our beloved
country namely, to go out and report
to my fellow, countrymen concerning
those affairs of the world which now
need to be settled. y
The only people I owe any report
to are you and the other citizens of
the United States and it has become
Increasingly necessary, apparently.
that 1 should report to you. After all
the various angles at which you have
heard the treaty held up perhaps you
would like to know what is in the
treaty. find it very difficult in read
Ing some of the speeches that have
read to form any conception Of that
great document.
A Unique Document.
TT is a document unique in the
history of the world for many reasons
and l think cannot do you a better
service or the peace of the world a
better service than by pointing out to
you just what this treaty contains and
what it seeks to do.
''In the first place, my fellow coun-
trymen, 1t seeks to punish one of the
greatest wrongs ever done in history,
the wrong which Germany sought to
do to the world and to civilization and
there ought to be no weak purpose
with regard to the application of the
punishment. She attempted an intoler-
able thing and she must be made to
pay for the attempt
The terms of the treaty are severe
but they are not unjust can testify
that the men associated with me at
the peace conference in Paris had it
IN their hearts to do justice and not
wrong but they knew perhaps with a
more vivid sense Of what had happen
ed than we could possibly know on
this side of the water the many SOL
disregarded. the long preparations
she had made to overwhelm her
neighbors, the utter disregard which
she had shown for human rights, for
tho rights Of women and children and
those who were helpless. They had
seen their lands devastated by an enc
my that devoted itself not only to the
effort of victory. but to the effort of
terror, seeking to terrify the people
" that they exercised restraint in the
terms of this treaty. They did not
wish to overwhelm any great nation
and they had no purpose in over
whelming the German people but they
; did think that 1t ought to be burned
into the consciousness Of men forev-
er that no people ought to permit its
government to do what the German
government did
countrymen, as we In America would
be the first to claim q people are re-
sponEble for the acts of their govern
ment, II their government purposes
things that are wrong they ought to
take measures and see to it that that
purpose is not executed.
I Dsoetvsu People
go Germany was5self governed. He,
rulers had not concealed the purposes
! that they had in mind but they had
deceived their people as to, the char
acter OF the methods they were going
to 1se and believe from what / can
sctousness in Germany itself of the
deep iniquity Of the thing that was
attempted.
When the Austrian delegates came
before the peace conference, they, in
% many words spoke Of the origina-
ton OF the war as a crime and admit
ted in our presence that it was a
thing ;intolerable to contemplate They
knew in their hearts that it had done
.
that it had put their. people and the
people of Germany at the judgment
seat. of mankind and throughout this
treaty every term that was applied to
Germany was meant not to humilfate
Germany but to rectify the wrong
that she had done. And If you will
look even into the severe terms of
reparation, for there was no indemnity
no indemnify of any sort was claim
ed-merely reparation, merely paying
for the destruction done, merely max
Ing good the losses, so far as the
losses could be made good which she
had unjustly inflicted, not upon the
governments-for the reparation Is
not to go to the governments-but
upon the people whose rights she had
trodden upon with absolute absence
pity. There is no indemnity in this
treaty but there is reparation and
even the terms Of reparation q method
Is devised by which the reparation
shall be adjusted to Germany's ability
to pay it.
Astontsl1ed by StatementA
II am astonished at some of the
statements see made about this
treaty and the truth is that they are
made by persons who have not read
the treaty or who. II they have read
1t, have not comprehended it's mean
ing. ~
"A Method of Adj1stmenk
There is a method Of adjustment
In the treaty by which the reparation
shall not be pressed beyond the point
which Germany can pay but she will
be pressed to the utmost point that
she can pay which is just, which ia
righteous. 1t would be intolerable il
there had been anything else, for, my
fellow citizens this treaty is not
meant merely to end this single war,
1t is meant as notice to every gov
ernment who in the future will At
tempt this thing. tina. mankind will
unite to infict the same punishment
There is no national triumph
sought to be recorded in this treaty.
There is no glory sought for any par
ticular nation. The thought Of the
statesmen collected around that table
was Of their people. Of the sufferings
that they had gone through, Of the
losses they had incurred. that q great
throbhing heart which was So de-
pressed. 50 forlorn. 20 sad In every
memory that II had had Of tho cflve
tragtcal years. my fellow country
men. Let us never forget the pur-
pose, the high purpose, the disinter-
ested purpose with which America
glory, but for the advance Of man
kind
".Ard, as said, this treaty was mot
intended merely to end this war; 1t
was intended to prevent any similar
Must ruian Prunisos.
II wonder II some Of the opponents
Of the League OF Nations have for
gotten the promises We made our
people before We went to that peace