Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-07-11

and the league of nations to the SEN
ate today, spoke as follows.
Gentlemen of the Senate, The
treaty of peace with Germany was
signed at Versailles on the twenty
eighth of June. | avail myself Of the
earliest opportunity to lay the treaty
before you for ratification and to in
form you with regard to the work OF
the conference by which that treaty
was formulated.
The treaty constitutes nothing less
than world settlement. 1t would
not be possible for me either to sum
Marie or to Construe its manifold
provisions in an address which must
of necessity be something less than
treatise. My services and all the in
formation | possess will be a your
disposal and at the disposal of your
committee on foreign relations at any
time. either informally or in session,
as you may prefer; and l hope that
you will not hesitate to maze use Of
them. / shall at this time prior to
your own study of the document, at
tempt only a general characterization
of its scope and purpose.
In one sense. no doubt, there is no
need that | should report to YOU what
was attempted and done at Paris
You have been daily cognizant Of
what was going on thereof the
problems with which the neace CON
ference had to deal and o. the diff
Guilty of laying down straight lines of
settlement anywhere on field on
which the old lines of international
relationship and the new alike, fol-
lowed so intricate a pattern ami were
for the most part cut so deep by his
toriCal circumstances, which dOm-
mated action where it would have been
best to ignore or reverse them. The
cross currents of politics and of inter-
est must have been evident to YOU
1t would be presumiug in me to at
tempt to explain the questions which
arose or the many diverse elements
that entered into them. I shall at
tempt something less ambitious than
that and more clearly suggested hyI
my duty to report to the congress the
part it seemed necessary for my col
leagues and me to play as the repre-
sentatives of the government of the
United States.
That part was dictated by the role
America had played in the war and
by the expectations that had been
created in the minds Of the peoples
with whom we had associated our
selves in that great struggle
Position of America
The United States entered the war
upon a different footing from every
other nation except our associates on
this side of the sea. We need it not
because our material interests were
directly threatened or because any
special treaty obligations to which we
were parties had been violated, but
only because we saw the supremacy
and even the validity of right every
where put in jeopardy and free gov
eminent likely to be everywhere inn
periled by the ntOlerable aggression
of a power which respected neither
right nor obligation, and whose very
system of government flouted the
rights of the citizen rs against the
authority of his governors.
And in the settlements of the peace
we have sought no special reparation
for ourselves, but only the restoration
of right and the assurance OF liberty
everywhere that the effects of the
settlement We're to be felt. We en-
tered the war as the disnterested
champions of right and we Interested
ourselves on the terms of the peace
in no other capacity.
The hopes of the nations allied
against the central powers were at
very low ebb when our soldiers began
to pour across the sea.
There was everywhere amongst
them, eXcept in their stoutest spirits.
a sombre foreboding of disaster The
war ende in November, eight months
ago, buC you have only to recall what
was feared in midsummer last. four
short months before the armistice. to
realize what it was that our timely aid
accomplished alike for their morals
and their physical safety That first,
neVer-to- bc-tOrgOtten action at Cha
teau Thlerry mad already taken place
Our redOubtablc soldiers and marines
had already closed the gap the enemy
had succeeded in opening for their
advance upon Paris-had already
turned the tide of battle back toward
the frontiers Of France and begun the
rout that was to save Europe and the
world. Thereafter the Germans were
to be always forced back back, were
never to thrust successfully forward
again. And yet there was no CONT
dent hope. Anxious men and women,
leading spirits of France, attended the
celebration of the Fourth of July last
year in Paris out of generous cour-
tesy-with no heart for Iestivitiey,
little Zest for hope. But they came
away with something new at their
hearts; they have themselves told us
so, The mere sight of our men-of
their vigor, of the confidence that
showed itself in every movement of
their salwart figures and every turn
of their swinging march, in their
steady compromising eyes anG easy
discipline, in the indomitable air that
added spirit to everything they did
made every one who saw them that
memorable day realize that something
had happened that was much more
than mere incident IN the Fighting, |
very different from the |
mere arrival of fresh troops. a great
moral force had flung itself into the
Compliments the Army.
The fine physical force or those
spirited men spoke of something more
than bodily vigor They carried the
great ideals of a free people at their
hearts and with that vision were I'M
conquerable. Their very presence
brought reinsurance: their fighting
made victory certain. They were rec
ognized as crusaders, ana as thtir |
sWelled to millions their
strength was seen TO mean salvation, !
And they were fit men to carry such /
a hope and make good the assurance
it forecast, Finer men never went
into battle; and their officers were |
worthy of them. This is not the oc- |
casion upon which to utter eulogy |
of the armies America sen. 20 France,
but perhaps, since l am speaking of
their mission, | may speak also of the |
pride | shared with every American
who saw or dealt with them there. |
They We're the sort of men America |
would wish to be represented by. the |
sort of men every American would |
wish IN claim faI1pw opnpfryTnafn |