The Washington times., 1919-07-10
Complete Text Of
Presidents Message
Transmitting Treaty

their armies had done. The central
empires had lived, in open violation OF
many of the very rights for which the
war had been fought, dominating
alien peoples over whom they had no
right to rule, enforcing, not obedience,
but veritabIe bondage, exploiting
those who were weak for the benefit
OF those who were masters and over
lords only by force of arms. There
could be no peace until the whole
order Of central Europe was set right.
New Nations.
That meant that new nations were
to be created-Poland, Czecho-Slo-
vakia, Hungary itself. No part OF
ancient Poland had ever in any true
sense become a part Of Germany, or
of Austria, or of Russia. Bohemia
was alien in every thought and hope
to the monarchy of which she had
long been an artificial part; and the
uneasy partnership between Austria
and Hungary had been one rather Of
interest. than of kinship or sympathy:
The Slavs whom Austria had chosen
to force into her empire on the south
were kept to their obedience by moth
ing but fear. Their hearts were with
their kinsmen in the Balkans. These
were all arrangements Of power, not
arrangements Of natural union or as
ISOLATION. 1t was the imperative task
of those who would make peace and
make it intelligently to establish &
new order which would rest upon the
free choice Of peoples rather than
upon the arbitrary authority OF
Hapsburgs or Hohenzollerns.
More than that, great populations
49, 81 Iii Of
Rumania were also linked against
their will to the conglomerate Austro-
Hungarian monarchy orsto other alien
soYereignties, and it was part Of the
task of peace to make a new Rumania
as well as a new slavic state cluster
ing bout Serbia
And no natural frontiers could be
found to these new fields Of adjust
ment and redemption. 1t was neces-
sary to look constantly forward to
other related tasks. The German col
onies were to be disposed Of. They
had not been governed; they had been
exploited merely, without thought OF
the interest or even the ordinary hu-
man rights of their inhabitants.
Fall of Empire.
The Turkish Empire, moreover, had
fallen apart, as the Austro-Hungarian
had. 1t had never had any real unity.
II had been held together only
by pitiIess, inhuman force. Its
peoples cried aloud for release, for
succour from unspeakable distTssS
for all that the new day OF hope
seemed at last to bring within its
dawn. Peoples hitherto in utter dark
ness were to be led out into the same
light and given at last helping hand.
Undeveloped peoples and peoples
ready for recognition but not yet
ready to assume the full responsible
ties of statehood were to be given
adequate guarantees Of friendly pro-
lection, guidance, and assistance.
And out of the execution OF these
great enterprises Of liberty sprang
opportunities to attempt what states
men had never found the way before to
do. an opportunity to throw safe
guards about the right OF racial, ma
tionaI and religious minorities by
solemn international covenant: an op-
portunity to limit and regulate mill
tary establishments where they were
most likely to be mischieyous; an OPP
nortunity to effect complete and
systematic Decentralization Of
waterways and railways which were
necessary to the free economic life
of more than one nation and to clear
many Of the normal channels OF COM
uerce of unfair distractions of law
tDf of privilege: and the very well
pGome opportunity to secure for Ia
BOT the concerted protection OF def
rite international pledges Of principle
and practice.
Were InseparnbIe.
These were not tasks which the
Conference looked about il to md and
went out of it's way to perform. They
were inseparable from the settlements
of peace. They were thrust upon it by
circumstances which could not be
overlooked. The war had created
them. In all quarters Of the world old
established relationships had been dis
turbed or broken and AFFAIRS were at
Loose ends. needing TO be mended or
united again, but could not be made
what they were before. They had to
be set right by applying some uni
form principle of justice or enlight-
ened expediency. And they could not
be adjusted by merely prescribing IN
a treaty what should be done. New
states were to be set up which could
not hope to live through their first
..eliud Of weakness without assured
support by the great nations that had
consented to their creation and won
Eor them their independence. Ill gov
,rned colonies could not be cut in
the hands OF governments which were
To act as TRUSTEES for their people and
not as their masters il there was to
be- no common authority amons the
nItions to which they were to be
re iponsible in the execution OF their
trust.
Could Not he Assured.
Future international conventions
with regard TO the control of wafer
ways, with regard to Illicit traffic of
many kinds, in arms or in deadly
drugs. or with regard to the adjust
ment of many varying international
administrative arrangements could not
be assured If the treaty were to pro
vide no permanentcommon internation-
al agency. if it's execution in such mat
tiers was to be left to the slow and
uncertain processes of cooperation by
ordinary methods of negotiation.
II the peace conference itself was
TO be the end of co-Qperattqe auth
ority and common counsel among the
governments to which the world was
looking to enforce justice and give
pledges of an enduring settlement.
regions like the Saar basin could
not be put under a temporary adj
ministrative regime which did not in
volve a transfer Of political SOW
or.i0pfv and which contaminated =,