The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1919-02-27
Peace Treaty Would Be Anoth-
er "Scrap of Paper" Without
League of Nations Backing,
He Tells Bostonians.
By United Press,

His speech, the first answer to OPP
was planned to lay the background for
American support Of his program. It's
preparation followed a long conference
on the George Washington last night
and today with Secretary Tumulty.
Pending his audience with congress
sional leaders the president Is not at
tempting to go into details Of the league
merely showing why he regards it
necessary, and what he believes will be
its ultimate effect.
Before the president started talking.
Mayor Peters made a brief speech of
welcome.
John Mccormack sang 1.-The Star
Spangled Banner president applaud
ed vigorously.
Presidents Speech.
ut warns my heart" the president
said in opening. ITO see my fellow citt-
zens again. because 1 have at times felt
very lonely in recent weeks without
our counsel.
"The extraordinarily generous recep-
ton given me on the other side seemed
to be a call of greeting to you rather
h a to me. l had the browning pride
of being our representative. Men
everywhere felt that your hearts beat
with theirs in the cause of liberty"
United States Trusted.
The plaudits Of the European crowds,
he said, were calls to America for a
union across the seas in a peace Of JUS
tice n right.
1.-THE proudest thing l have to report
to YOU" he said, "is that our great
country is trusted throughout the
world"
He said he was not prepared to re-
port details of the conferences on a
peace not yet completed. There is
common agreement, he said, that a new
order must be set up in the world.
"The settlement Of this war affects
every nation and sometimes I think
every small nation in the world. No
one decision can be made without it
being reckoned in with others
All Appeal to America.
The president spoke of the appeals of
down trodden nations, that America
first of all seems to be appealed to by
these.
"There is no nation in Europe that
suspects the motives of the United
States" he said.
81 have not come to report the pro-
ceedings or the results Of the proceed
ings of the peace conference; that
would be premature. I can say that
have received very happy impressions
from this conference; the impression
that While there are many differences
of judgment, while there are some di-
vergencies of object, there is, never
theless. a common spirit and q COM
mon realization of the necessity of set
ting up new standards of right in the
world. Because the men who are in
conference realize as keenly as any
American can realize that they are not
the masters OF their people: that they
are the servants of their people and
that the spirit of their people has
awakened to a new purpose and a new
conception of their power to realize
that purpose and that no man dare go
home from that conference and re-
port anything less noble than was ex-
pected of 1t.
The conference seems to you to go
slowly; from day to day in Paris it
seems to go slowly; but l wonder If
you realize the complexity Of the task
which it has undertaken? 1t seems as
if the settlements Of this war affect,
and affect directly, every great and.
I sometimes think every small nation
| in the world, and no n decision can
! be made which is not properly linked
in with the great series Of other de-
cisions which must accompany it, and
it must be reckoned On with the final
result, if the real quality and character
of that result is to be properly judged.
What we are doing is to hear the
| whole case; hear it from the mouths of
the men most interested: hear it from
! those who are officially commissioned
! to state it; hear the rival claims; hear
the claims that affect new n~ationalities,
that affect new areas of the world, that
affect new commercial and economic
connections that hav been established
by the great world war through which
by the moderateness Of those who have
represented national claims. 1 can tes-
tify that believe l have nowhere seen
the CLEAN of passion.
The president was cileered When be
said:
THE confidence we have established
] throughout the world imposes a burden
! upon us. Any man who opposes the
! tide will find himself thrown upon bar
rem ground.
IF America were now to fail tbs
world, what would become of it? Amer
lea is the hope of the world and if she
does not justify that hope the results
! will ba unthinkable.
Suppose we sign the treaty OF
peace" he said, "and do nc more, We
will have nothing but a modern scrar
!; of paper.
NO assurances would be given to a
downtrodden people that they would
be safe.
I'VE set this nation UP to make mer
free and now we win make men free
The president sale he was ready tc
fight for this.
The president finished his speech "a
Sac.
FRANC Gel ERRA1ES.