Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1919-07-17
WILSON SPEAKS
BEFORE SENATE
Says League of Free Nations Is
Practical Necessity to Assure
Future of World
AMERICA FRIEND OF ALL

Moral Leadership Of World Offered to
United States and Question Shall
We Accept or Reject it-Amer-
lea Made Victory Certain.
Washington, July 11.-Following is
President Wilson's address before the
United States senate:
Gentlemen of the Senate: The
treaty of peace with Germany was
signed at Versailles on the 28th of
June. l avail myself of the earliest
opportunity to lay the treaty before
you for ratification and to inform you
with regard to the work of the con.
ference by which the treaty was form.
ulated.
The treaty constitutes nothing less
than world settlement. 1t would not
be possible for me either to sum.
marize or to construe its manifold pro-
visions in an address which must of
necessity be something less than a
treatise.
My services and all the Information
/ possess will be at your disposal and
at the, disposal of your committee on
foreign relations at any time, either in
formally or in session, as you may pre-
fer, and hope that you will not hesi-
tate to make use of them. l shall at
this time, prior to your own study Of
the document, attempt only a general
characterization of its scope and pur.
pose.
"HistoricaI circumstances' Control.
In one sense, no doubt, there is no
need that should report to you what
was attempted and done at Paris. You
have been daily cognizant of what was
going on thereof the problems with
which the peace conference had to
deal and of the difficulty of laying
down straight lines of settlement any
where on field on which the old lines
of international relationship, and the
new, alike, followed so intricate pat
tern and were for the most part cut
SO deep by historical circumstances,
which dominated action where 1t
would have been best to ignore or re.
verse them. The cross-currents of
politics and Of interest must have been
evident to you. 1t would be presum.
ing In me to attempt to explain the
questions which arose or the many di.
verse elements which entered into
them. shall, attempt something less
ambitious than that and more clearly
suggested by my duty to report to the
congress the part 1t seemed necessary
for my colleagues and me to play, as
the representatives Of the government
of the United States.
American Role Determined.
That part was dictated by the role
America had played in the war and by
the expectations that had been ere.
ated in the minds of the peoples with
whom we had associated ourselves in
that great struggle.
The United States entered the war
upon different footing from every
other nation except our associates on
this side the sea. We entered it, not
because our material interests were
directly threatened or because any
special treaty obligations to which we
were parties had been violated, but
only because we saw the supremacy,
and even the validity, of right every.
where put in jeopardy and free gov.
eminent likely to be everywhere i'm
periled by the intolerable aggression
of a power which respected neither
right nor obligation and whose very
system of government flouted the
rights of the citizens as against the
autocratic authority of his governors
And in the settlements of the peace
we have sought no special reparation
for ourselves, but only the restoration
of right and the assurance of liberty
everywhere that the effects of the
settlement were to be felt.
U. s. Champion of Right.
We entered the war as the disinter.
ested champions of right and we in.
terested ourselves in the terms of the
peace in no other capacity.
The hopes of the nations allied
against the Central Powers were at a
very low ebb when our soldiers began
to pour across the sea. There was
everywhere amongst them. except in
their stoutest spirits, somber fore
boding of disaster. The war ended in
November, eight months ago, but you
have only to recall what was feared
In midsummer last, four short months
before the armistice, to realize what
It was that our timely aid accom-
plished alike for their morale and
their physical! safety.
: That first. never to be forgotten &C
tion at Chateau Thierry, had already
taken place. Our redoubtable soldiers
and marines had already closed the
gap the enemy had succeeded in open
ing for their advance upon Paris-hat
already turned the tide of battle bach
towards the frontiers of France and
begun the rout that was to save Eu
rope and the world.
This is not the occasion upon which
to utter eulogy of the armies Amer
4ca sent to France, but. perhaps since
/ am speaking Of their mission.I may
sneak also of the Dride I shared wifi