Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-08-21
Treaty Conveys
No Possessions
To Allied Powers
The Immediate Ratification
Should Bring About Drop
In Cost of Living.
Only General Ratification
Would Establish League
In Any True Sense.

Washington, Aug. 21.-Preddent
Wilson has not the power to declare
peace by proclamation, nor could he
consent in any circumstances to take
of formal treaty of peace by the
senate. The president so wrote Sena-
tor Fall today in answer to one Of the
twenty written questions the senator
presented at the White House confer
ence Tuesday.
Replying to another question, the
president said the provision Of the
treaty that it should come into force
after ratification by Germany and
three of the principal associated pow
ers operated merely to establish peace
between those ratiflfying powers that
it was questionable whether it can
be said that the League of Nations
Is in any true sense created by the
association Of only three of the Allied
and associated governments"
Normal Conditions.
AS to the question Of when normal
conditions might be restored, the
president said he could only express
the confident opinion that immediate
ratification Of the treaty and accept
anc.s Of the covenant Of the league as
near future reduce the cost Of living"
both in this country and abroad
through the restoration of production
and commerce to normal
German Poasesstons.
To Senator Falls questions relating
to the disposition of Germany's pos
session, the president said the ar
rangement in the treaty conveyed no
title to the Allied or associated pow
ers, but merely ''intrusts disposition
of the territory in question to their
decision"
'tGermany's Remuneration In favor of
the principal Allied and associated
Poy @ 3 ;4;ss = eennnsa Sal osa..ss
possessions is meant similarly to oper-
ate as vesting in those powers trus-
teeship with respect of their final dis
position and government"
Text of Letter.
The presidents letter follows:
MY dear Senator Fall:
"You left yesterday in my hands
certain written questions which
! promised you would answer. I am
fastening to fulfill that promise.
IT feel constrained to say in reply
to your first question not only that in
my judgment l have not the power
by proclamation to declare that peace
exists but that I could in no circum-
stances consent to take such course
prior to the ratification of a formal
treaty of peace. I feel it due to per-
feet frankness t6 say that it would in
my opinion put a stain upon our ma
tional honor which we never could
efface. if after sending our men to the
| battlefield to fight the common cause
we should abandon our associates in
| the war in the settlement of the terms
of peace and disassociate ourselves
from all responsibility with regard to
those terms.
Il respectfully suggest that, having
said this. 1 have In effect answered
also your second. third and fourth
questions so far as myself am con-
cerned.
Permit me to answer your nth
question by saying that the provisions
of thestreaty to which you refer oper-
ate merely to establish peace between
the powers radfying and that it is
| questionable whether it can be said
that the League of Nations is in any
sense created by the association of
only three Of the Allied and associated
governments.