Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1919-08-28
Says He Sees No Reasonable
Objection to Reservations
Concerning League
of Nations.
CONFERENCE AT WHITE HOUSE
President Asserts United States
Surrenders No Powers and
May Withdraw at Will.

| dent Wilson and the members Of the
foreign relations committee Of the
| senate met ut the White House Tues
day to discuss the peace treaty.
The president opened the discussion
| by impressing on the senators the
urgency of prompt ratification of the
treaty without amendments and with
out reservations that would require re-
| submission Of the treaty to the other
| signatories, especially Germany.
The president said that the interests
| of every class Of people, the farmers,
industrial workers and employers, de-
manded prompt ratification to the end
that stable conditions of industry, agri-
culture and employment be reestab-
llshed. The presidents address, which
| was in effect an address to the coun-
try, follows:
II hope that this conference will
serve to expedite your consideration Of
the treaty of peace. I beg that you
will pardon and indulge me if I again
urge that practically the whole task of
| bringing the country back to normal
conditions of life and industry waits
upon the decision of the senate with
regard to the terms Of peace.
II venture thus again to urge my
advice that the action of the senate
with regard to the treaty be taken at
the earliest practicable moment be-
cause the problems w.h which we are
face to face in the REIMBURSEMENT of our
national life are Of the most pressing
and critical character. They will re-
quire for their proper solution the
most intimate and ~disinterested CO.
operation of all parties and all inter-
ests, and cannot be postponed without
manifest peril to u people and to all
the national advantages we hold most
-1~..
The copper mines of Montana, Ari-
iona and Alaska, for example are be
ing kept open and in operation only at
a great cost and loss, in part upon
borrowed money. The zinc mines of
Missouri, Tennessee and Wisconsin
are being operated at about one-half
their capacity. The lead of Idaho, Ill
inois and Missouri reaches only a por-
ton Of it's formcm market. There is an
immediate need fol cotton betting, and
also for lubricating oil, which cannot
be met. all because the channels of
trade are barred by wal when there is
no war. The same is true of raw cot
ton, of which the central empires alone
formerly purchased nearly four million
bales; and these are only examples.
There is hardly a single raw material,
a single important foodstuff or a single
class Of manufactured goods which is
not in the same case. Our full, normal
profitable production waits on peace.
"Our military plans, of course, wait
upon it. We cannot i~ntelligently Or
wisely decide how large a naval or
military force we should maintain or
what u policy with regard to mill
tary training is to be until we have
peace not only, but also until we know
how peace is to be sustained, whether
by the arms of single nations or by the
concert Of all the great peoples. And
there is more than that difficulty in
volved. The vast surplus properties of
the army include, not food and cloth
Ing merely, whose sale will affect nor
NAL production, but great manufacture
ing establishments also, which should
be restored to their former uses, great
stores Of machine tools and all sorts of
merchandise which must lie idle until
peace and military policy are definitely
determined.
1.-The nations that ratify the treaty,
such as Great Britain, Belgium and
France, will be in a position to lay
their plans for controlling the mar
kets Of central Europe, without com
petition from us, if we do not pres
emily act. We have no consular agents
no trade representatives there to lool
after our interests.
"There are large area of Europe
whose future will lie uncertain ant
questionable until their people know
final settlements of peace and tn,
Forces which are to administer ant
sustain 1t. Without determinate mar
, kets u production cannot proceet
with intelligence or confidence. Their
!, can be no easy or normal industria
credits because there can be no conf
dent or permanent revival of business
There can be no sterilization of wage
because there can be no settled condi
ton of employment.
; every element of normal lif
amongst US depends uson and await
the ratification Of the treaty Of peace
and we cannot afford to lose a singl
summers day by not doing all that w
can to mitigate the winters SUFFERING
, which, unless we find means to pre-
, |. vent 1t, may prove disastrous to
:, large portion of the world, end may, O
= Its worst, bring upon Europe cond
lions even more terrible than th0e
= brought by the war itself.
y Nothing, ! am led to believe, stant
In the way Of the ratification Of I'll
treaty except doubts with regard
tina UnaauirU and ,nsJinattAn re naRfaI