The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-09-10
IA Indianapolis Speech He Lays
Bare Partisanship of
Senator'S
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
WILL PREVENT WAR
Challenges Lodge and .Associ-
ates to Formulate a Better
Plan For Permanent Peace

President Wilson here tonight in the
SECOND adress of his 10000 mile tour
of the United States. eff the critics of
the League have something better to
suggest said the president, II hope
they. will hold their convention and
dositnow.'
lHess said the league opponents could
not. hope to defeat the program ex-
cent by offering something better.
..1dTs Wilson said the covenant ''is the
enlyS conceivable arrangement which
,1itf prevent our sending, our men
abrcad again, very soon. And II l
laaysuse a very common expression, l
would say. IF it is not to be. this ar
Eaagement, what arrangement do you
Susgest to secure the peace of the
world? It is a case Of put up or shut
nm, g. =
Opposition is not going to save
fiie,SSprld; negotiations are not going
70 construct the policies of mankind.
Al great plants the only thing that
can n.defeat a great plan. The only
triumphant. idea in this world are the
ideas. that are organized for battle.
The only thing that equals an organ
zed program is a better program.
ssIf this is not the way to secure
peace. / beg that the way may be
pointed TO you. IL we must reject
this way, then I beg that.before am
aentS to ask Germany to make a new
AiRd OF peace with us, should be
Eixen specific instructions as to what
Kind sof peace it is to be"
( President Wilson told q. crowd OF
ksyeFdHs thousand here tonight that no
uae believed the league of nations
stdula make all wars Impossible, but
That hesexpected it. to make war svio-
lehfly Improbable"
s. The. economic -and arbitration sec
tSonso of. the covenant, he asserted,
: si...Rnuld keep war ION the. outskirts
AMd make st only: a, last resort
s.Qpponents.o of the league of nations
hessaid,, had discussed only three out
pfs:S6 articles sof the covenant. The
articles which would make war i'm
probab.e had been. overlooked.
THE president said his speaking trip
sSeas partly to point out how bso-
,a1teIy ignorant'' OF the contents of
afhefc6yenantr some of those were who
opposed the league. -.
ss.esff they read the English language
atsali, = he said. they dc not. under
stand it as 4 do
yhe president said he wanted to
forget and wanted the people to for
get that they were Republicans or
Democrats,
am American he declared. "and
- champion OF the rights which Amer
fea. belieyes in'' al
At this the crowd cheered and there
was 5 another outburst Of cheering
when. he declared he had mot the
sfsghtestS doubt what the verdict Of
tatespeopte would be.
ssSp1ne delegations, the president said
caaneato the Paris conference with
causes which. were not considered
spfoperly within the scope of the
peace conference. In that connec-
tipn he pointed out that under Ar
st5cle Ill any threat Of war could be
Investigated by the league.
4 .sssAt present" said he. 1--WE have
TO mind our own business, but under
thescovelsant and the league we can
mind other peoples business.
There was not an oppressed people
anywhere, he said, that could not get
attention for its case under the league.-
Hesdid not mention any oppressed
people by name, but many of his
AeaEers remarked that they thought
he spoke Of the case of ireland.
f0.0. 40 NJ
lnent, the president pointed out that
japan repeatedly had promised to re-
turn the peninsula to China He did
not .go into the subject at length.
however, but mentioned it in en-
4tfiasizing that the covenant would
refuse to recognize the validity Of
secret treaties.
,The president said he could look
ths mothers of the country in the
faceiaproudly because he had kept
ss:..a promise to do ali he could to pre-
more wars.
,This league he said. SIS the only
ronceiyabie arrangement which will
pregent our sending our men. abroad
again rery soon.
James p. Goodrich. Republican gov
ernor of Indiana. in q brief address
welcoming the president, said every
one wanted a better understanding
among the nations, but that every
true American citizen also favored
strong nationalism. He pleaded for
an parties to lay aside partisanship
liz deciding the issues of the peace
treaty.
when the governor mentioned that
the meeting was to hear the president,
4ife crowd cheered for several minutes
and the governor could only stop
them by presenting Mr.. Wilson
1T was ten minutes before the
crowd was quieted and the president
proceeded. He traced the incidents
from which the great war started,
Hayfpg the significant circumstances
VAS that Austria and Germany did not
dare to discuss s'the demand made or
seryia." It generally was admitted
abroad. he asserted. that if there had
kaen discussion there would have
Seed no war.
sSS,This fact. he said. recalled that the
L. rafinnG c0Va-