Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-09-12
WILSON ANSWERS
SENATE QUERIES
Says He Sees No Reasonable OBJ
lection to Reservations Con-
corning League of Nations.
CONFERENCE At White HOUSE
President Asserts United States Sur
renders No Powers and May
Withdraw at Will

Washington, Aug 20.-President
Wilson and members of the foreign re-
lations committee of the senate met at
the White House Tuesday to discuss
the peace treaty.
The president opened the discussion
by impressing on the senators the
urgency of prompt ratification of the
treaty without amendments and with
out reservations that would require
resubmission of the treaty to the other
signatories, especially Germany.
The president said that the interest
OF every class of people-the farmers,
industrial workers and employers-de-
manded prompt ratification to the end
that stable conditions of industry, ag-
riculture and employment be re-estab-
lished. The presidents address, which
was in effect an address to the coun-
try, follows:
II hope that this conference will
serve to expedite your consideration q
the treaty of peace. | beg that you will
pardon and indulge me if / again urge
that practically the whole task of
bringing the country back to normal
conditions of life and industry waits
upon the decision of the senate with
regard to the terms of the peace.
81 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 be-
cause the problems with which we are
face to face in the REIMBURSEMENT Of
our national life are Of the most press
ing and critical character, will re-
quire for their proper solution the
most intimate and disinterested
cooperation of all parties and all in
terests, and cannot be postponed with
out manifest peril to. our people and
to all the national advantages we hold
most dear.
'The copper mines of Montana, Ari-
zOna and Alaska, for example, are be-
ing kept open and in operation only at
a great cost and loss, in part upon bor-
rowed money; the zinc mines of Mis-
souri,, Tennessee and Wisconsin are be-
ing operated at about one-half their
capacity; the lead of Idaho, Illinois
and Missouri reaches only portion
of its former market; there is an i'm
mediate need for cotton betting, and
also for lubricating oil which can
not be met, all because 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 formerly purchased nearly four
million bales And these are only ex-
amples. There is hardly single raw
material, a single important foodstuff,
or single class of manufactured goods
which is not in the same case. Our
full, normal, profitable production
waits on peace.
"Our military plans of course, wait
upon it, We cannot intelligently or
wisely decide how large naval or
military force we shall maintain or
what our policy with regard to mill
tary training is to be until we have
peace, not only peace, but also until
we know how peace is to be sustained,
whether by the arms of single nations
or by the concert of all the great peo-
pies. And there is more than that
difficulty involved. The vast surplus
VI lllC Oily AAS1N0Ns nv
food and clothing merely, whose sale
will affect normal production but great
manufacturing establishments also,
which should be restored to their for
mer uses-great stores of machine
tools. and all sorts of merchandise
which must lie idle until peace and
military policy are definitely deter
mined.
"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 markets
of central Europe, without competition
from us, If we do not presently act.
We have no consular agents, no trade
representatives there to look after our
interests.
"There are large areas Of Europe
whose future will be uncertain and
questionable until their people know
the final settlements of peace and the
forces which are to administer and
sustain it. Without determinate mar
kets our production cannot proceed
with intelligence or confidence. There
can be no easy or normal industrial
credits because there can be no con-
fdent or permanent revival of bust.
ness. There can be no sterilization
Of wages because there can be no set
tied conditions of employment
"Every element of normal life
amongst us depends upon and awaits
the ratification of the treaty of peace
and we cannot afford to lose a single
summers day by not doing all thai
we can to mitigate the winters suf
fering, which, unless we find means
to prevent it, may prove disastrous tc
q large portion of the world, and may
at its worst, bring upon Europe con
ditions ever more terrible than those
brought by the war itself.
"Nothing. am led to believe, stands
in the way of the ratification of tht
treaty except doubts with regard t.
the meaning and implication of Ger
tain articles of the covenant of tht
League Ct Nations and | must frank!
say that | am unable to understand
why such doubts should be enter
.~vned. You viii recall that when had
me pleasure of a conference with
YOUR committee and with the commit
tee of the house of representatives or
foreign affairs at the White House in
March Last fbn Questions now most