The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-08-19
QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GIVEN
President and Committee Dis.
cuss Peace Treaty Follow
ing Address by MIR.
Wilson.
SENATORS TAKE PART
Treaties With Turkey, Austria and
Other Nations Delayed by
Action on German
Terms.
SENATORS TAKE PART

|
/ WASHINGTON, A lg. 19.-Presiden
! Wilson told the foreign relations com
mittee the United States had not
waived it's claim to reparation for the
sinking of the Lusitania, but that the
amount Of reparation to be awarded
America will rest with the reparation
commission.
The president said he claimed moth.
ing under the general reparation
clauses because he coveted the moral
advantage that that would give us in
the counsels of the world"
Following the reading of his prepar-
ed statement, the president remarked
i"I thought that the simplest way, Mr..
ch airman, to cover the points that I
know to be of interest"
To this Senator Lodge replied:
'iMr. President, SO far as / am per-
sonelly concerned-and I think l rep
resent perhaps the majority of the
committee in that respective have
no thought Of entering upon argument
as to Interpretation or points Of that
character, but the committee was
very desirous of getting information
on certain points which seemed not
clear, and on which they thought In.
formation would be Of value in consid
Grafton of the treaty, which they, |
may say for myself and others, desire
to hasten in every possible way.
"Your reference to necessity of ac-
ton leads me to ask one question. II
we have to restore peace in the world,
it is necessary, I assume, that there
should be treaties with Austria, Hun
gary, Turkey and Bulgaria. Those
treaties are all more or less connect
ed with the treaty with Germany.
The question 1 should like to ask is,
what is the prospect of our receiving
those treaties for action?"
II think it is very good, sir" replied
the president "And so far as I can
judge from the contents Of dispatches
from my colleagues on the other side
of the water the chief delay is due
to the uncertainty as to what is going
to happen to this treaty. This treaty
is model of the others. l saw
enough Of the others before I left
Paris to know that they are being
framed up on the same set of princi-
pies and that the treaty with Germany
is the model. think that is the chief
element of delay, sir"
Lodge: "They are not regarded as
essential to the consideration of this
treaty?"
The president: "They are not re-
garded as such, no sir; they follow
this treaty"
Lodge: .T do not know about the
other treaties, but the treaty with
Poland, for example, has been com
pleted?"
The president: Eyes, and signed;
but it is independent upon this treaty.
Nv 1,N1 ,crht 10 h,,os 1N
action on this treaty"
Senator Lodge then asked concern |
ing the manner in which the American
plan of the league was drafted.
Lodge inquired if it would be pos
sible to see the draft submitted by
Great Britain, France and Italy. The |
president replied that he would have |
sent them to the committee with /
pleasure, if he had found that he had |
hem.
The president: "Tfle British draft |
was the only one, as I remember that |
was in the form Of definite constitu-
lion of league. The French and Ital
an drafts were in the form Of a
series Of propositions laying down gen |
eral rules and assuming that the COM /
mission would build upon those prin.
ciples, if they were adopted. / re.
member saying to the committee when
was here in March, have forgotten
he expression l used-but it was
to the effect that the Brit
sh draft had constituted the basis. /
hought afterward that that was mis-
eading, and 1 am very glad to tell the
committee just what l meant"
The president declared that the
United States can interpret for itself
moral obligations under the league
covenant such as the use Of force I'M
Ter Article x.
Senator Lodge asked what the pros
,ects are for getting the other treaties
low being drawn up in Paris.
The president said the prospects
ire very good and that the delay in
them is due to the uncer
ainty about what is going to happen
% the German treaty.
He said it Is the model upon which
Ill the others are based.
Lodge then inquired whether the