The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-05
FIRST SPEECHES
IN TRIP TO WEST
SHOW DEFIANCE
President Tells Critics to
Offer Better Plan to End
War or Shut Up.
AUDIENCES APATHETIC
Explains Shantung and Fiume,
Hints at Ireland, in Plea for
"League of Fine Passions"
By a Star Correspondent of The srS.


INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 4.-"Put up or
shut up" said President Wilson to-
night in the indianapolis Coliseum
before $4,000 people Mt the Indiana
State Fair grounds. He was address
ing all antagonists of an unamended,
reservationless League of Nations,
but the defiance was levelled espe-
cially at certain Senators. He meant,
as he explained with some care, that
opponents OF the league should offer
workable substitute plan IL they
are not satisfied with the pact he
brought home in his pocket from
Paris.
Mr.. Wilson's speech, the second of
the coast to coast rour, was distinctly
more aggressive and more defiant
than the very generalized and senti-
mentalized address he delivered this
morning at Columbus, Ohio. Tonight
he got down to cases, talked about
the beauties of Article ", which he
characterized as the very heart of the
league idea and as representing the
conscience of the world; gave his
reason for approving the shantung
agreement. limited that Ireland could
present her ease before the council
of the league and let fly other much
more definite and concrete ideas than
/ had marked his morning talk.
Probably the sight of large crowds
in the streets, in and along the
whole path he took to the State Fair
grounds, with the cheering aspect of
a big crowd in the Coliseum, per-
suaded him to greater defniteness.
1t was a big crowd, but it was also
silent crowd. Even indianapolis
Democrats in the motor car process
sion to the fair grounds complained
about its passlvity. The inside crowd
was more vociferous.
Greeted by Gov. Goodrich.
Mr.. Wilson came to Indianapolis
under favorable circumstances. The
State fair, attracting thousands from
! central Indiana, was in progress, and
there were three times as many people
In and around the Coliseum as could
crowd into that reverberating audi
torium. The fair contributed largely
to the street crowds also and gave
the Wilsonian visit an outward ap-
pearance at least of public interest.
When he stepped from his private
car at P. NJ. he was greeted by
James p. Goodrich, the Republican
Governor, and by a small, select COM
pany of worthy Democrats. Immedi-
ately a motor car parade, the Presl-
dent and Gov. Goodrich leading.
started for the fair grounds, five miles
distant. The route was walled with
people, who looked OH interestedly,
but kept remarkably quiet.
The Governor had lots of words
in his system and was set to release
them, but the crowd thought diff
ferently and yelled for Wilson. When
they got Wilson they wouldn't keep
quiet until the police closed the doors
against outgoing thousands and it
was not until after a ten minute de-
lay that the President was able to
deliver his speech uninterruptedly.
Almost at the outset he went to
the defence of Article y, the ar
ticle which engages members OF the
league to preserve against all external
aggression the territorial integrity
Of nations concerned.
The President. rebuking league op-
ponents, went on to say that most
of the league matters debated were
not the essential matters of the pact,
and he held that one Of the essen
tials was the agreement of the great
Powers to protect the weak.
Hints at the Irish Question.
Warming as he went along, he
came, as he said, to "a delicate mat
ter" His hearers understood that
he referred to the Irish question. He
said that 1t was impossible for the
Peace Conference TO take up this
problem, but that any oppressed