The state herald., 1919-07-18
PRESIDENT MAKES
PLEA FOR TREATY
BEFORE SENATE
Makes Assertion That League Of
Free Nations Has Become
practical Necessity"
MEANS RELIEF FROM WAR
CHIEF Executive Refes to Il a. an
.indispsnsabls lnstrumsntaIIty for
the Maintenance Of the New
Order Set Up In World"

Washington. July 10.-The senate
was called into session at u o'clock
and prayer offered by the chaplain.
Rev. Forrest J. Prettyman. who asked
divine guidance for the senate and the
chief executive in the work II was
about to undertake.
rostrum erected by the desk Of the
reading clerk Of the senate.
His address was as follows:
Gentlemen Of the Senate:
The treaty of peace with Germany
was signed at Versailles on the 2sth
o. June. avail myself Of the earliest
opportunity to lay the treaty before
you for ratification and to inform you
with regard to the work of the confer
ence by which that treaty was for1nu-
lated.
The treaty constitutes nothing less
than a world settlement. 1t would not
be possible for me even to summarize
or to construe Its manifold provisions
In an address which must Of necessity
be something less than treatise. My
services and all the Information / pos
sess will be at your disposal and at
the disposal Of your committee ON
foreign relations at any time, either
Informally or In session. as you may
prefer: and hope that you will not
hesitate to make use Of them.
shall mt this time. prior TO your
own study of the document. attempt
only general characterization Of its
scope and purpose.
Problems Of Conference.
In one sense. no doubt. there is no
need that l should report to you what
was attempted and done at Paris. You
have been daily cognizant Of what was
going on thereof the problems with
which the peace conference had to deal
and OF the difficulty Of laying down
straight lines Of settlement anywhere
on field on which the old lines Of In
ternational relationship, and the new
alike, followed so intricate a pattern
and were for the most part cut SO deep
by historical circumstances which
dominated action where II would have
been best to ignore or reverse them.
The cross currents Of politics and Of
interest must have been evident to
700. 1t would be presumlng In me to
attempt to explain the questions which
arose or the many diverse elements
that entered into them. shall attempt
something less ambitious than that
and more clearly suggested by my duty
to report TO the congress the part II
seemed necessary for my colleagues
and me to play as the representatives
Of the government Of the United
States.
That part was dictated by the role
America has played In the war and by
the expectations that had been created
In the minds Of the peoples with whom
we had associated ourselves in that
great struggle.
esw Supremacy Of Right psrlled.
The United States entered the war
upon different footing from every
other nation except our associates on
this side the sea. We entered Il, not
because our material interests were
directly threatened or because any spe-
cini treaty obligations to which we
were parties had been violated, but
only because we saw the supremacy.
and even the validity. Of right every.
where put In jeopardy and free gov
ernment likely to be everywhere I'm
periled by the intolerable aggression
Of . power which respected neither
right nor obligation and whose very
system OF government nouted the
rights OF the citizens MS against the
autocratic authority OF his governors.
And In the settlements Of the pence
We have sought no special repnration
for ourselves. but only the restoration
Of right md the assurance OF liberty
everywhere that the effects Of the set
tlement were TO be felt. We entered
the wnr ns the dlsintcrcstcd champions
NJ right md we Interested ourselves
10 the terms Of the pence In no other
capacity.
United 6tate9 Timely AID.
The hopes Of the nations allied
aeainst the central powers were n, u
very low cbb when our soldiers bcgnn
TO pour across the sen. There was cv.
erywhcrc amongst them. except In
their s,ou,est spirits. u sombcr fore
boding OF disnstcr. The war ended In
November eight months ngo. but you
have only 10 recall whnt was feared
In midsummer Inst. only four short
months before tho nrmistice. TO real.
Ire whnt II wns TINT our timely MD
accomplished alike for their morale
and their physical snfeiy.
The first. ncvcr.to.be.forrottcn nc.
ilon nt Chateau Thlcrry had already
taken pincc. Our rcdoubtnblc soldiers
md marines hnd already closed The
rnp tho enemy had succeeded In open.
Ing for their advance upon rnrls-hnd
nlrend, turned The tide of battle bnch
tnwnri the frontier. Of irDnrr mud