The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-05
JUSTICE KEYNOTE OF
COLUMBUS SPEECH
Wilson Says One of Greatest
Wrongs Is Punished.

COLUMBUS, Sept. An his spoec
here to-day in Memorial Hau Prestden
Wilson said:
Mr.. Chairman, Gov. Campbell and
Ny FeIIoto Oaisens:
1t 10 with very profound pleasure
that 1 find myself face to face with
you. have for a long time chafed
at the confinement of Washington. I
have for long time wished to fulfill
the purpose with which my heart
was full when I returned to our be-
loved country, namely. to go out and
report to my fellow countrymen con-
corning those affairs of the world
which now need to be settled.
The only people I owe any report
to are you and the other citizens of
the United States, and II has Become
increasingly necessary, apparently,
that / should report to you. After
all The various angles at which you
have heard the treaty held up per-
haps you would like to know what
is in the treaty. 1 find 1t very diff
ficult In reading some of the speeches
that I have read to form any con-
ception of that great document.
1t is a document unique in the his
tory of the world for many reasons,
and think / cannot do you a better
service or the peace of the world
better service than by pointing out
to you just what this treaty con-
tains and what II seeks to do.
In the FIRST place, my fellow coun-
trymen, 1t seeks to punish one of the
greatest wrongs ever done in his
tory. the wrong which Germany
sought to do to the world and to
civilization, and there ought to be no
weak purpose with regard to the
application OF the punishment. She
attempted an intolerable thing and
she must be made to pay for the
attempt.
Simple Justice Only Aim.
The terms of the treaty are severe.
but they are not unjust. 1 can tes-
tify that the men associated with
me at the Peace Conference in Paris
had 1t in their hearts to do justice,
and not wrong. but they knew per-
haps with a more vivid sense of what
had happened than we could pos
sibly know on this side Of the water
the many solemn covenants which
Germany had disregarded. the long
preparation she had made TO over
whelm her neighbors. the utter dis
regard which she had shown for
human rights, for the rights OF wo-
men and children and those who were
helpless. They had seen their lands
devastated by an enemy that de-
voted itself not only to the effort of
victory. but to the effort of terror.
seeking to terrify the people whom
they fought. and wish to testify
that they exercised restraint in the
terms OF this treaty. They did not
wish to overwhelm any great nation.
and they had no purpose in over
whelming the German people, but
they did think that il ought to be
burned into the consciousness of men
forever that no people ought to per-
NIT its Government to do what the
German Government did.
In the last analysis. my fellow
countrymen. as we in America
would be the first to claim a people
are responsible for the acts Of their
Government, II their Government
purposes things that are wrong. they
ought to take measures and see to
1t that that purpose is not executed.
Germany was self-governed. Her
rulers had not concealed the pur-
poses that they had in mind, but
they had deceived their pepole as to
the character of the methods they
were going to use, and believe
from what I can learn that there is
an awakened consciousness in Ger
many itself of the deep iniquity of
the thing that was attempted.