Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1919-08-27
NO POWER TO DECLARE L, PEACE.
Nor Would President DO So Prior to
Ratification Treaty.

take such a course prior to the rati-
fication of a formal treaty OF peace
ny the Senate. The President so
wrote Senator Fall to-day in answer
to one of the twenty written aues-
tlons the Senate presented at the
White House conference Tuesday.
ReI lying to another question, the
president said the provision of the
treaty that 1t should come into force
AFTER ratification by Germany and
three Of the principal associated pow
ers, operated merely to establish
peace between those ratifying pow
ers, and that it was questionable
whether it can he said that the
League Of Nations is in any true
sense created by the association of
only three Of the allied and associ-
ated governments
AS to the question Of when nor
nal conditions might be restored,
the President said he could only ex-
press the confident opinion that i'm
mediate ratification Of the treaty and
acceptance Of the covenant Of the
league, as written, would certainly
within the near future reduce the
cost OF living" both in this country
and abroad, through the restoration
Of production and commerce to nor
nal.
AS TO German Colonies.
10 Senator Falls question relating
to the disposition Of Germany's DOS
sessions, the President said the ar
rangement in the treaty conveyed no
title to the allied or associated pow
e. but merely "entrusts disposition
Of the territory in question to their
decision"
"Germany's renunciation in favor
of the principal allied and associated
powers,' the President continued,
"of her rights and title to her over
seas possessions is meant simply
to operate as vesting in those powers
trusteeship with respect to their
final disposition and government"
There has been provisional
agreement" the President added in
this connection, cas- to the disposi-
tion Of these overseas possessions
whose confirmation and execution is
dependent upon the approval OF the
League Of Nations, and the United
States is party to that provisional
agreement"
The President said the only agree
ment between France and Great
Britain with regard to African terri
tory, Of which he was cognizant, con-
cerned re-disposition of rights
already possessed by them on that
continent.
1t was deemed wise, he said, that
the United States should be repre-
sented by one member Of the commits
sion for settling the new frontier
line Of Belgium and Germany "be-
cause Of the universal opinion that
Americas representative would add
to the commission a useful element
or entirely disinterested judgment"
The same thought applied, he
added, to appointment Of an Ameri-
can representative on the commission
set up to exercise authority over the
plebiscite in upper Silcsia.
The President wrote the Senator
that he had no official information
as to whether Norway, Sweden, Den
mark, Holland or Switzerland would
join the league.
On Declaring Peace.
Concerning his power to declare
the existance Of peace, the President
said:
II feel constrained to say, in re-
ply to your question, not only that
In my Judgment have not the power
by proclamation to declare that
peace exists, but that | could in no
circumstance consent to take such
a course prior to the ratification Of
formal treaty Of peace. | feel
1T due to perfect frankness to say
that it would, in my opinion, nut a
strain upon our national honor which
we never could efface, If, after send
ing our men to the battlefield to fight
the common cause. we should aban-
do" our associates IN the war in the
scit!cnien; o: the t"Ins Of peace and
dissociate ourselves from all respon-
sibiity.
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