The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-09-24
CUT HEART OF LEAGUE,
 PRESIDENT TELLS
 PEOPLE 0F UTAH
President Speaks Before Audience of 12,000 in the Mormon Tabernacle in - Salt Lake City
 Last Night
By Associated Press

Salt Lake City, Utah, Sep
 tember 23.-Replying directly
 to Senate proposals to write
 reservations into ratification of
 the peace treaty, President
 Wilson declared in an address
 in the Mormon tabernacle here onight that the proposal would
 "cut the heart out of the
 league of nations.
 The President spoke to a crowd
 which the police estimated at 12,0oo.
 Every seat was occupied and all the
 available standing room taken while
 outside the tabernacle there was an- other great throng blocking the en-
 frances and the surrounding streets. President ffeber J. Grant of the Moi
 mon church opened the meeting with
 an invocation in which he prayed for
 strength for the nations chief execu-
 tive in his responsibilities.
 Gov. Simon Bamberger introduced
 the President.
 The President discussed at length
 the question of reservations. declaring
 that to all intents and purposes reser-
 vations were the same as amend ments.
 To reopen the meaning of any part of the treaty. he said. was to reopen negotiations with Germany. MT Wilson read a proposed reserva- tion under which the United States would assume no responsibility" to protect the integrity of foreign gov ernments under article 10. Such reservation he asserted. would relieve
 the United States of part. of it's just responsibility.
 Does the United States want to be in on that special footing?" asked the ! President. and there was a great shout of mo" from the crowd.
 ANSWERS DIRECTIONS Answering objections that under ar ticle 10 the United States might be called on to settle Balkan coptro- versies, the President said:
 If you want to put out fire n Utah, you don't go to Oklahoma for | the lire engine, ana 1T you want to put | out fire in the Balkans you don't 1 send to the United States for troops" | The choice would be made. he said. 1 from "the most suitable and most availa ble" forces and the decision would be made with the consent of I all the nations concerned. Should the | controversy spread so that the aid of | the United States would be necessary, he said. then it would be so serious
 a situation that this nation would get l in any way. league or no league. l To adopt such a reservation, con- l tinued MT. Wilson. was not to inter- pret the covenant but would constitute an absolute withdrawal from the re- responsibilities of article 10 and consa- quently rejection of the treaty. l Instead of wanting to get what it coufd without assuming any respons:- bility, it was the nations duty. he said. to accept the leadership which 1 the world now offered. That could be done he continued. without in any way 1 inpairing national sovereignty be-
 cause no great decisions could be taken without the vote of the United States. ARE PLEASING GERMANY 1 The President said that he had no notion of reflecting upon the public men who were aiding the opposition, but he declared they were pleasing l Germany by their Attitude. Through certain channels open to the govern ment. he said. he ksew Germany was praying that the United States would stay out of the league.
 1 Every previous treaty. said the President. had been a division of spoi,s. ] while the present document was "a T absolute renunciation of spoils" Ev- everywhere throughout the world. he asserted. settlemented had been made ] on the theory that the people them selves should determine what form of government they should have
 Through the people. the President said, he was appealing to senators 70 take a second thought if they intended I to write into the treaty anx~s such
 reservation that he had quoted.