The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-09-06
SPEECHES HAVE PUNCH,
PRESIDENT BELLIGERENT
Audiences Brought to Feet Again and Again
Wilson in Fight of His Life.
Biggest Hit in Argument That America Entered War
to End Wars-Pledges Must Be Kept-Open
Bid to Irsh-China's Hope Lies in the
League of Nations.
(BY DAVID LAWRENCE,)

EN- ROUTE TO KANSAS CITY,
MO-, Sept. 6.-(Copyrighted for The
Chattanooga News)-President Will
son did much better at Indianapolis
and st. Louis than at Columbus. Not
only did his speeches take better with
the crowds, but the people seemed to
be reused to high pitches of enthu-
siasm, which were totally lacking at
the outset. The president has evil
IDENTIFY been advised that the people
want speeches with a punch in them.
For in both Indianapolis and st.
Louis he adopted the Rooseveltian
tactics for the first time in his ca
reer and brought his audience to its
feet again and again. That is new
thing with Woodrow Wilson. Usually
he depends upon the quiet deliberate
processes of oratorical persuasion.
Today he is changed. He is bellig-
erent He is making the fight Of his
life, and if his speech at st. Louis,
which seemed to make the best i'm
preston thus far, Is an index of what
Hc pldllp " w, lllt pupllc Vail ehpSSI
Mr.. Wilson to arouse the nation on
the issue of league of nations to a
degree Of passion and fervor hitherto
absent on either side of the contro-
versy. The president is reducing his
argument to simple statements. His
appeal to the st. Louis Chamber of
Commerce was especially intended
for business men. His plea to the
farmers who gathered from all parts
of Indiana was a vivid protrayal of
the horrors of another war. His
challenges to critics was a definite
call for a substitute program if they
intend to defeat the proposed league.
His central effort is to show. that the
opponents Of the league have picked
flaws here and there, but have said
1othing of the constructive possibili-
les of twenty-three out of the
.wenty-six articles of the covenant.
Main Trend Of Argument.
Briefly, the main trend of Mr.. VIII
sons argument as now revealed is
his:
/. II the treaty is not ratified by
he United States, Europe will &c
ahead without us and the United
States will be left out In the cold
discredited and distrusted.
2. The reparation commission Is
really a group of receivers sitting
over the bankrupt assets of Ger
many. That commission will deter
mine how Germany shall pay her
reparation, where she will buy mate
rails and how she win get credits
Mr.. Wilson says that IL only from a
practical business point of view
America cannot afford to stay out
as Americas trade and industrial
life are interviewer in the economics
of Europe.
8. The president points to the in
vasion of Belgium as a violation OF
territorial integrity, and says that
any one who is against Article y
would forget Belgium and weak ma
tions.
4. To the Irish the president makes
an open bid for support by limiting
that America cannot intrude upon
t,ngland's affairs now, but that un-
der a league of nations Ireland can
get hearing and the moral support
ol the United States.
5. With respect to foreign wars
and sending troops across the sea
Mr.. Wilson emphasizes that Ameri-
can boys cannot be compelled to
fight unless the representatives of
the United States in the league S
council so advise, and our representa-
lives would be under instructions to
AXE no such step without the sane
5ion of congress.
s. Faith in Japan's intentions to
return Shantung to China is eX-
pressed without qualification by the
president, and to those who don't
trust Japan and want to give the ter
litory back to China Immediately
Mr.. Wilson addresses this question:
How will you take Shantung away
from Japan when Great Britain and
France are pledged already and have
been pledged for two years to give
JaDan all the rights which Germany
crioyed? Docs America want TO
fight Great Britain and France and
Japan and is that the way to keep
America out of war? Mr.. Wilson
presents no apology for Japan, but
ssvs Great Britain and France had
t. promise her Shantung in order to
set Japan to come into the war and
help keep the Pacific clear of Ger
man raiders. Mr.. Wilson admits the
bargain and denouncos secret trea-
tics. but says the remedy for the
whole deplorable plight of China lies
in the league of nations and its proc
ceses for revisions of all grants of
territory to other powers as well as
to Japan.
7. Finally, and this is where the
rresident ALWAYS makes his biggest
hit he reminds the hearers that
America went into the war to end
war. that consCription was put into
oncration and liberty loans fioated
end hard earned dollars were taken
from American poCkethooks and the
flower of American manhood sent to
foreign graves not merely to beat
Germany, but to prevent any other
nation from trying the experiment
which Germany tried.
Nine Days Would Have Averted War,
Nine days of discussion, he con-
tends, would have been enough to
prevent the last European war, as
Germany wouldn't have gone in If
she had known England would fight,
and she would certainly have held
her peace if she had dreamed Amer
lea might come in. Now, the presi-
dent points out, nine months would
he provided for arbitration Or dis
Cussions before there could be war;
and if there were a war, the eco
nomic boycott would be effective;
stubborn nations would be starved
into submission. They would be
commercially isolated and financially
bankrupted unless they accepted the
verdict of mankind. If the league
isn't set up and Europe goes on as
before, he thinks there will be more
war and America will be drawn into
il and losses will not be a couple of
hundred thousand. but many million
of men So if will he gpen from the