The Washington herald., 1919-02-14
President Expresses Him
self as Confident That,
Upon His Return to
France, May Be Cele-
brated Completion Of So
ciety of Nations.
PRINCIPLES DO NOT
NEED DEBATE, HE SAYS
Many miracles Of Compre-
hension as to Our Inter-
dependence as Nation
and as Human Beings" I"
Have Been Wrought by
War, He Asserts.

Paris. Feb. l&-From President Will
sons own lips has at last come tbs
public announcement that he proposes
to return to France to take a hand in
the final shaping of the league OF ma
tons Moreover, some time" afte'
his return. he is confident there may
be celebrated the completion of tht
league at any rate up 10 certain
very far advanced stage
The President said so in a speech tC
a delegation of the French Society
for league Of nations last night
which was not made public until this
evening.
Mr. Wilson refuted the idea that he
is a dreamer. more interested in prin-
Ciples than in practice.
principles do not need any de-
bate" he said. but the difficulty is
putting them into practice. He point
ed to the fact that the league of ma
lions, now almost an accomplished
fact. was some five years. ago "eon-
sidered an impractical dream"
Text of His Speech.
The Presidents speech follows:
I appreciate very deeply what
has been said. and l take it that
the kind suggestion is that some
time after my return We should
arrange a public meeting at
which I am quite confident We
may celebrate the completion of
the work. at any rate, up to a
certain very far advanced stage.
the cunsummation of which we
for for a long time. II would be
very happy thing if that could
be arranged. l can only say for
myself that ] sincerely hope it
can be. / should wish to lenu
any assistance possible to so
happy a contamination.
i cannot help thinking of how
many miracles this war has al
ready wrought. miracles of com
prehensiOn rs to our interdepend-
ence as nations and as human be-
ings. miracles as to the removal
Of obstacles which seemed big
and now have grown small; in
the way of the active and organ
ized cooperation of nations in
regard to the establishment and
maintenance of justice.
Same Principles to Start.
And the thoughts Of the people
having been drawn together. there
has already been created "A force
which is not only very great but
very formidable, a force which can
be rapidly modified. a force which
IS very effective when modified.
namely the moral force of the
world One advantage in seeing
one another and talking with one
another is to ind that, after all.
we all think the same way. We
may try to put the result of the
thing into different forms. but we
start with the same principles.
L have often been thought OF
as a man more interested in prin-
Ciples than in practice, whereas, as
e. matter of fact. l can say tht in
on sense principles hive never in
Jcrested me. Because principles
prove themselves when stated.
They do not need any debate. The
think that is difficult and interest
ing is how to put them into prac-
ticr. Large discourse is not pOssi-
bic on the principles, but large dis
COurs" Is necessary on the matter
OF realizing them.
80 that. after all. principles
ztul Untranslated into practice are
very thin and abstract. and.
may add, uninterestinE things. 1t
is not interesting TO have far
away visions. but it is interesting
to have nearby visions of what
1t is possible to accomplish: and
in meeting such as you are pro-
iCctinE perhaps VIC can record the
success that We shall have then
achieved OF putting a great prin-
cipIc into practice and demonstrate
ed that it can be put into practice.
though nearly. let US say. five
years ago it was considered an i'm
practicable dream.
II will cooperate with great hap
piness in the plan that you may
form after my return, and | thank
you very warmly for the compli-
ment Of this personal visit"
Must Accept Terms.
The new armistiCe terms agreed
ON by the supreme war council must
be accepted by Germany.
Marshal FOCh is understood to
have departed for Treves late to-
cay to communicate the new con-
ditiOns to the German armistice
C., mmissIOn. He will tell the Ger
mans that a supplementary list OF
military and naval terms will be
CO 0Ieted within three or four
W 80 and will then be presented.
IT, must be signed without anv
attempt at bargaining or the ad-
vance of the allied armies into Ger
many will be resumed where it was
left of.
II viii be made unmistakabIy
plain TO Germany that the time for
over the terms is passed,
The supplementary terms will be
drawn up during President Wilson's
absence. Col House will sit in the
Presidents place when they are
framed and voted on.
The understanding of the French
press is that the new conditions
virtually amount to an uItimatum
aud that they include clause pro-
hibitin= a German offensive against
the Poles
The draft OF terms is said to be