Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-08-20
COME ERENCE At
THE WHITE HOUSE
BRINGS OUT ONLY
WILSON s OP |N|0Ns
President Admits Falls Posi-
ton Regarding Germany and
the Treaty is Correct, But
Unthought of Before.
HASN'T DATA ASKED
FOR BY COMMITTEE
Chief Executive Sees No OBJ
lection to interpretations
But Says Reservations
Would Be Great Mistake.
tsY noss,ao JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED w,stl

Washington, Aug. l9.-President
Wilson, interpreting the league of ma
tions covenant today for the senate
foreign relations committee, declared
1t imposed no legal obligation for the
Use of American military force in pro-
tecting the territory or independence
of any other nation.
But he added that the covenant
might involve, in certain clrcum-
stances, an absolutely compelling
moral obligation which might be
even stronger than legal promise
Pressed for a more exact definltion
by committee members who insisted
that the whole arrangement was a
rope of sand' he asserted that on the
contrary he considered it as placing
the nations in "an attitude of com
radeship and protection" which would
compel respect for the principles or
Justice and liberty.
Meeting the committee in a round
table discussion in the east room or
the White House, in contradiction 10
the precedents of more than cen
turv and with the whole nation listen
ing through the medium of relay OF
public stenographers. the president
went into many of the details of the
peace negotiations and touched on all
the hotly debated questions which
have divided the senate in its con-
sideration Of the peace treaty.
Full Freedom If Choice.
Article ten of the covenant, guar
nsaetiig Ase i.te ssrAs stsaf isa =. rAsi'a
bers against aggression, he declared.
would leave to each nation complete
freedom of choice as to the applica-
ton of force"
Even if the American representa-
tives on the council joined In an
unanimous recommendation for mill
tarv action the final decision for peace
or war must rest, so far as concern
ed the United States, with congress.
he said.
Whatever advices the council gave
under its authority to take such action
as is deemed appropriate" must also
he deemed appropriate by the United
States to be binding on this govern
ment, he argued. though in the back
ground would be such a potential
moral force that he doubted If the
nation would often decline to act.
Confidence i'm Japan.
The president revealed that Japan's
promise to return Shantune province
to China was reduced to written form
in the minutes of the peace confer
ence He asserted he had "everv con-
f,dence" that the promise would be
carried out and told the senator's il
was "the best that could be got" out
of the negotiations. Japan having
given notice she would withdraw from
the conference IL her demands were
refused. The American delegates. he
L. 4x.t1 ~ tny
free from obligations in European af-
fairs 80 far as ii was honorably pos
sibIe to do So" but he asserted that it
might be necessary to keep some
American troops in the Rhine district
under the treaty for the next fifteen
years.
He, declared the nation would be its
own sole Judge whether it's obliga-
tons had been fulfilled under the dis
puted withdrawal clause of the league
covenant; that purely domestic aues-
tions were safe from the leagues in
terference; and that the Monroe doc
trine was clearly preserved
Matter of Reparation.
The league, the president explained
was built on the plan of General
Smuts of South Africa.
Mr.. Wilson revealed that he had
suggested the United States take no
part of the German reparation but
had asked that the conference reserve
disposition of the German Pacific
island of Yap on a suggestion that
it was needed for an American naval
station.
Some of the senator's questions, the
president declined to answer on the
ground of international policy. How
the American delegates voted on
Japan's proposal for radical equality
clause in the league covenant he said
ne could not go into the negotiations
over the French frontier or give the