Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1919-07-18

Washington.-President Wilson lai
the peacetreaty with Germany befor
the senate without attempt to explai
Its specific terms. His address whic
required 40 minutes for delivery. wa
devoted almost wholly to the leagu
OF nations.
American isolation, the presiden
said, ended 20 years ago at the clos
OF the war with Spain. Fear of Amel
can motives now also had ended, h
declared.
There can be no question of GU
ceasing to be world power,' sal
Mr.. Wilson. "The only question /
whether we can refuse the moral lead
ership that is. offered us, whether W.
shall accept or reject the confidenc,
o fthe world"
The war and the peace conference,
In his opinion, the president said, hat
already answered that question, "ant
nothing but our mistaken action car
alter It."
After the end of the great war
the president said. every enlightened
judgment demanded that, at whatever
cost OF independent action, every gov
eminent that took thought for its
people, or for justice or for ordered
freedom, should lend itself to a new
purpose and utterly destroy the old
order OF International politics"
Text Of Address.
President Wilson. in presenting the
peace treaty and the league of ma.
tons to the senate, spoke as follows !:
Gentlemen of the Senate:
The treaty Of peace with Germany
was signed at Versailles on the 2Sth
OF June. avail myself OF the easliest
opportunity to lay the treaty before
you for ratification and to inform you
with regard to the work of the confer
ence by which that treaty was formu.
lated. =
The treaty constitutes nothing less
than a world settlement. It would
not be- possible for me either to sum
marize or to construe its manifold
provisions in an address which must
OF necessity be something less than
treatise. My services and all the
information possess will be at 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 I hope that
you will not hesitate to make 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 prob
lens with which the peace conference
had to deal and OF the difficulty OF
laying down straight lines OF settle
ment anywhere on a field on which
the old lines Of international relation.
ship, and the new alike followed so
Intricate pattern and were, for the
most part. cut 20 deep by historical
which dominated &C.
ton where 1t would have been best
10 ignore or reverse them. The cross
Of politics and Of interest
must have been evident to you. II
would be presuming in me to attempt
10 explain the questions which arose
Or the many diverse elements that en-.
.ered into them. I shall attempt
less ambitious than that
and more clearly suggested by my
iuty to report to the Congress the
part 1t seemed necessary for my col.
eagues and me to play as the repre-.
of the government OF the |
United States.
That part was dictated by the role
america had played in the war and
" the expectations that has been
reated in the minds of the peoples
With whom we had associated our
elves in that great struggle.
The United States entered the war
Ipon a different footing from every
'ther nation except our associates on
his side OF the sea. We entered II,
tot because our material interests
rere directly threatened or because
ny special treaty obligations to which
re were parties had been violated,
ut only because we saw the suprem-
cy, and even the validity of right
put in jeopardy and free
overnment likely to be everywhere
nperilled by the intolerable aggres-
ion OF power which respected
either right nor obligation and whose
err system OF government fiouted the
Ights OF the citizens as against the