The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-03-05
Text of Presidents New York Speech League of Nations


My fellow citizens. Accept the
inumation of the air just played.
VIII not como hack un it's over
over there And yet. pray God, in
the interests OF peace and OF the
world. that that may be soon.
The first thing that am going
TO tell the people on the other side
OF The water Is that an ovarwhelm.
ms majority OF the American people
Is In favor OF the league OF nations.
Know that is true: | have had un.
fnistakehic limitations OF Il from all
parts OF the country. and the voice
rings true In every case. | count
myself fortunate to speak here un.
dcr the unusual circumstances OF
this evening. l am happy TO associ-
ate myself with Mr. Taft In this
great cause. lilo has displayed an
elevation OF view and a devotion to
public duty which is beyond praise.
And | arm the more happy be-
cause this means that this Is not
party issue No party has the right
to appropriate this issue and no
party will. in the long run. dare 20
oppose IT,
We have listened TO so clear and
admirable an exposition OF many OF
IN" main features of tho proposed
covenant Of the league Of nations
mat II Is. perhaps. not necessary for
me to discuss In any particular way
the contents OF the document. will
seek rather 10 give you It's setting.
do not know when have been
more impressed than by the confer
enee OF the commission set up by
the conference OF peace 10 draw up
n covenant for the league OF nations.
The representatives OF IL nations sat
around that board--not young men.
not men inexperienced IN the affairs
OF their own countries. not men in
experienced In tho politics OF the
world. and the inspiring influence OF
every meeting was the concurrfng OF
purpose on the part OF all those men
70 come to an agreement and an 81.
fcctivc working agreement with re
gard TO this league Of the civilized
world.
Should He Done
There was a conviction In the
whole impulse. there was conviction
OF morc than ono sort. there was the
conviction that this thing ought 20
BE- done. and there was also tho con
viction that no, a man there would
venture 60 40 home and say that he
had not tried To do Il.
MIR. Taft has set the picture for
you OF what a failure OF this great
purpose would mean We have been
hearing for all these weary months
that this agony Of war has lasted
because OF the sinister purposes OF
the central empires. and We have
made maps of the courre that they
meant their conauests to tnke.
Where did the lines OF that map lie.
Of that central line that we used to
call from Bremen to Bagsiad'
They lay thru these very regions
TO whlCs AFR. Taft has called your
attention. but they lay then thru
the united empires: the Aus,roHun-
garian empire. whose integrity Ger
many was bound 20 respect as her
ally. lay in the path OF that line OF
conquest: the Turkish empire. whose
interests she profcsscd To make her
own. lay In the direct path that sh.
intended 10 tread
Re~ult Of IIbrasion
And now wha, has happsncd7
The Austro-Hungarisn empire has
gone TO pieces and the Turkish en-
pire has disappeared, and the ma
tons that effected that great result
for II was n result OF liberation
are now responsible as the trustees
OF the assets OF those great nations
You not only would have weak ma
tons lying In this path. hut you
would have nations In which that
Old poisonous seed OF intrigue could
be planted with the certainty that
the crop would be abundant: ane
bne OF the things that the league
OF nations is intended 10 watch Il
the course OF intrigue Intrigu'
cannot stand publicity. and u TN
league Of nations were nothing bu'
great debating society. II woulc
kin intrigue.
1T Ia one OF the agreements OF
this covenant that IL IN the friendly
right Of every nation a member Of
the league TO call attention TO any
thing that II thinks viii disturb the
peace of the world. no matter where
that thing In occurring.
There Is no subject that may
touch the peace OF the world which
Is exempt from inquiry and discus
sion, and think everybody here
present VIII agree with me that Ger
many would never have gone to war
IL she had permitted the world TO
discuss the aggression upon Serbia
for n single week.
The British foreign office sug.
gcsted II plead that Their night be
a day or two delay. ~ Nat the
representatives OF the nations OF
Europe could get togethes and dis
cuss the possibilities OF settlement.
Germany did not dare permit a days
/ discussion. You know what hap
pened. so soon as the world re-
allied that an outlaw was at large.
the nations began, one by one, to
draw together against her.
I'VE know for a certainty that II
Germany had thought for a moment
that Great Britain would go In with
France and with Russia. she never
would have undertaken the enter.
prise. and the league OF nations is
meant az n notice to all outlaw ma.
tons that not only Great Britain.
but the United States and the rest OF
the world will go In to stop enter
prises of that sort. And SO the
league Of nations is nothing more
nor less than the covenant that the
world Will always maintain the
l