Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-08-20
Text of Presidents Address to Senators
By The Associated Press.

BY The Associated Press.
Washington, Aug. l9.-Presiden
Wilson began his conference witt
the senate foreign relations commit
tee at the White House today witt
an opening statement on the peace
treaty and the league OF nations. He
said:
Mr.. Chairman: I am sincerely
glad that the committee should have
responded in this way to my intima-
ton that I would like to be of service
to it. l welcome the opportunity for
frank and full interchange OF
views. I hope, too, that this con-
ference will serve to expedite your
consideration of the treaty of peace.
l beg that you will pardon and in
dulge me if | again urge that prac-
tically the whole task Of bringing
the country back to normal condi-
tons of life and industry waits upon
decision of the senate with regard to
the terms of the peace.
I venture thus again to urge my
advice that the action of the senate
with regard to the treaty be taken
at the earliest practicable moment
because the problems with which
we are face to face in the readjust-
ment OF our national life are of the
most pressing and critical character,
will require for their proper solu-
ton the most intimate and disinter-
ested cooperation of all parties and
al! interests, and cannot be post
poned without manifest peril to Our
people and to all the national ad-
vantages we hold most dear. May
| mention a few of the matters
which cannot be handled with in
telligence until the country knows
the character of peace it is to have'
| do so only by very few samples.
Mentions Concrete Examples.
The copper mines of Montana
and Alaska, for example, are being
kept open and in operation only at
a great cost and loss, in part upon
borrowed money; the zinc mines OF
Missouri, Tennessee and Wisconsin
are being operated at about one
half their capacity; the lead OF
Idaho, Illinois and Missouri reaches
only portion of its former market;
there is an immediate need for cot
ton betting, and also for lubricating
oil which cannot be metal be-
cause the channels of trade are
barred by war when there is no war.
The same is true of raw cotton, of
which the central empires alone for
merly purchased nearly 100000
bales. And these are only examples.
There is hardly a single raw ma
terlal, single important foodstuff.
or single class of manufactured
goods which is not in the same case.
Our full, normal profitable produc-
ton waits on peace.
Military Plans Await Peace.
Our military plans, of course, wait
upon it, We cannot inteligently or
wisely decide how large a naval or
force we shall maintain or
what our policy with regard to mill
tary training is to be until we have
peace not only. but also until we
know how peace is to be sustained,
whether by the arms of single ma
tons or by the concert of all the
great peoples.
And there is more than that diff
Guilty involved. The vast surplus
properties of the army, include not
food ard nothing merely, whose sale
will affect normal production, but
great manufacturing establishments
which should be restored to their
former uses, great stores of ma
chine tools. and all sorts of mer-
chandisc which must lie idle until
peace and military policy are def
n:tely determined. Buy the same
token there can be no properly stud
led national budget until then.
World Trade Awaits Action.
The nations that ratify the treaty,
such as Great Britain, Belgium and
France, will be in a position to lay
their plans for controlling the mar
kets of central Europe without COM
petition from us, if we do not pres
entity act. We have no consular
agents, no trade representatives
there to look after our interests.
There are large areas of Europe
whose future will lie uncertain and
questionable until their people know
the final settlements of peace and
the forces which are to administer
and sustain it. Without determinate
markets our production cannot pro-
iced with intelligence or confidence
There can be no sterilization of
wages because there can be no set
tied conditions of employment
There can be no easy nor normal
industrial credits, because there can
be no confident or permanent re-
vival of business.
But | will not weary you with OBJ
vious examples. l will only venture
to repeat that every element of nor
NAL life amongst us depends upon
and awaits the ratification of the
treaty of peace; and also that we
cannot afford to lose a single sum-
mer's day by not doing all that we
can to mitigate the winters suffer
ing, which, unless we find means to
prevent it, may prove disastrous to
a large portion of the world. and
may, at its worst, bring upon Europe
conditions even more terrible than
those wrought by the war itself.
Nothing, | am led to believe,