The sun., 1919-08-12
PRESIDENT wilson's Reputation O
HIS Promise.

PRESIDENT wilson's Reputation Of
HIS Promise. o.
2 President WILSON addressed the
Senate OF the United States. the co.
/ equal and Independent partner Of the
! Chief Executive In the exercise Of the
treaty making power OF tho United
States, on the proposed peace treaty
with Germany on July o. On that
day, in the chamber Of the Senate,
presenting the draft Of the document
he negotiated at Paris. the President
uttered these words Of explanation,
apology and promise;
The treaty. constitutes nothing
lees than q world settlement.
= : ut w6uld not be possible for me
either to summarize II or to construe
its manifold provisions In an address
=, which must Of necessity be some
thing less than a treatise.
MY services and all the informal
ton / possess will be at your dis- ,
posal and at the disposal Of your
Committee on Foreign Relations at
any tims. either. informally or in ses-
sion. as you may prefer. and hope
~ that you will not hesitate, to make
< use of them.
This SPECIFIC pledge by the Presi.
dent to put at the disposal Of the SEN
ate all the information he possessed
concerning the treaty was made OF
his own initiative, without compulsion
or reservation. 1t is as broad as a
master Of English can make It, as
i comprehensive as sthe hottest
for full publicity could frame 1t. II
has been quoted again and again in
the effort to discredit those who as
serted they could get no facts from
the President to guide them in their
study of the treaty.
In accordance with this fair prom
lse the Senate last week adopted a
resolution asking the President for the
text Of letter written to him by Gen.
eral TAsKER II. BLISS, the military
member of the Presidents peace dele
CATION, on the subject Of Shantung
and its commitment to the care Of
Japan. This letter was from one
American delegate to ANOTHER, eluci-
dating certain aspects of the subject
1t treated of, giving an opinion held by
khroa % yhn dalaUafac On fha flor
in hand. 1t falls naturally and easily
into the category Of essential docu-
ments In the treaty transaction which,
II the President meant what he said
on July 8, he was then ready and will
ing to give to the Senate. But In re-
Spouse to this resolution OF his CO.
equal partner In treaty making for
part of the information ne freely Of
fered to 1t month ago the President
wrote officially yesterday:
"In reply to this request let me
say that General BLISS did write me
a letter In which he took very strong
ground against the proposed Shan
tung settlement and that his objec-
lions were concurred IN. by the Sec
rotary OF State and HENRY WHITE.
But the letter cannot properly be
described as protest at the final
shantung decision. because It was
written before that decision had been
arrived at and in response to my re-
quest that my colleagues on the COM
mission apprise me of their judg-
ment in the matter. ..- ..
THE final decision was very ma
teriaIly qualified by the policy which
Japan undertook to pursue with re-
gard to the return Of the shantung
peninsula in full, sovereignty to
China. .,-.. 30. ~ so
IT would havs' no hesitation in
sending the Senate copy Of Gem
eral BLIss's letter were II no, for the
fact that It contains reference to
other governments, which It was per-
fectly proper for General BLISS to
make In confidential communiea-
ton to me. but which I am sure Gen.
eral BLISS would not wish to have
repeated outside our personal and in
innate exchange OF Views
II have received no written pro-
tests from any officials connected
with or attached to the American
Peace Commission with regard to
this matter"
This is President WILSON'S I'm.
equivocal population Of President
5 WILSON'S handsome declaration that
! "all the information" he possessed
would be "ptthe' disposal" OF the Sen,
ate and at the disposal of the Sen,
ate Committee on Foreign Relation,
"at any time, either Informally or Il