New Britain herald., 1919-09-05
WILSON CHALLENGES
 LEAGUE OPPONENTS
Invites Them to Bring Forth
 Some Better Plan

st. Louis, Sept 5-President Will son reached today the real beginning of his western speaking tour in the interests of the peace treaty-the start of his long swing around the circle of states west of the Mississippi,
 Having sounded the keynote of his appeal in addresses yesterday at Co., lunl bus and Indianapolis, Mir. Wilson planned to take a brief respite from speech making today before plunging into the arduous program that will carry him into virtually every west ern state. Arriving in St Louis early this morning, he arranged to sleep late on his special train and then to keep most of the day free. Early in the afternoon however, he was to attend a luncheon at a downtown hotel, where it was ex- pected he would make a brief talk on the treaty and in the evening he was to speak at the coliseum where in 1916 he was renominated for the presidency.
 In Missouri the president found a situation as regards ratification of the peace treaty without an exact parallel l in any other state. In the treaty rati- 1 flying body at Washington the state
  ! only dem ocratic senator who has l taken a definite stand for the treatys rejection and Senator Spencer, one of 1 the republican senators who have de- clared themselves generally friendly l to it and have agreed on a set of reso- 1 lutions as a basis for it's acceptance. ] In St. Louis Senator Reed recently made an address bitterly assailing the ] treaty and within the next few weeks 1 Senator Johnson of California, a re- l publican member of the foreign re- 1 lations committee and others are eX- l pected to address opposing meetings. l In addition to his address here to- 1 night the president is to make one address in Kansas City tomorrow l morning.
 In his keynote addresses yesterday 1 the president made plain his inten- ! ton to explain various features of l the treaty during the trip and refrain 1 from engaging in debate about the ] issues raised in public discussion of ] the treaty heretofore.
 To the league of nations, the labor section, the provision for self f-deter- l mination for various territories in l Europe and the reparation system es- 1 tablished by the treaty he attaches ] particular importance.
 The fighting temper of the presi- l dents appeal to the country was ap ! parent in both his addresses yester- 1 day. Within three minutes after he began the first of them at COlum bus he had warmed to his task and was putting his ideas into blunt sentences punctuated by vigorous gestures. He 1 was interrupted repeatedly by ap
 plause and several times by cheers.
 At Indianapolis the president called on the opponents of the covenant tc produce a plan to secure the peace
 of the world, if not willing to accept
 the league of nations. If it is no l to be this arrangement he said
 what arrangement do you suggest tc ] secure the peace of the world? It is
 a case of put up or shut up. If the
 gentlemen who don't like what was
 done in Paris think they can do some
 thing better I beg that they will ho1c
 their convention and do it nOw.'
 Besides his two principal addresses
 Mir. Wilson talked briefly to crowds that gathered around his car during short stops at several small cities i
 Ohio and Indiana. Mrs. Wilson, who sat on the platform at the two scheduled meetings also stood beside the president when he appeared al
 the shorter stops.