Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1919-07-18
PRESIDENT MAKES
PLEA FOR TREATY
BEFORE SENATE
Makes Assertion That League OF
Free Nations Has Become
practical Necessity"
MEANS RELIEF FROM WAR
ShIef Executive Refers 70 IL Ne an
indispensable Instrumentality for
the Maintenance Of the New
Order Set Up In World"

Washington, July 10.-The senate
was called into session at II o'clock
and prayer offered by the chaplain,
Rev. Forrest ]. Prettyman, who asked
divine guidance for the senate and the
chief executive In the work 1t was
about to undertake.
President Wilson spoke from small
rostrum erected by the desk OF the
reading clerk OF the senate.
His address was as follows:
Gentlemen OF the Senate:
The treaty of peace with Germany
was signed at Versailles on the 18th
| Of June. I avail myself of the earliest
opportunity to lay the treaty before
| you for ratification and to inform you
/ with regard to the work OF the confer
ence by which that treaty was formu-
lated.
The treaty constitutes nothing less
than q world settlement. 1t would not
be possible for me even to summarize
or to construe Its manifold provisions
In an address which must OF necessity
be something less than n treatise. My
services and all the Information l pos
sess Will be at your disposal and at
the disposal or your committee on
foreign relations at any time, either
informally or In session, as you may
prefer; and I hope that you will not
hesitate to make use of them.
1 shall at this time. prior to your
own study Of the document. attempt
only a general characterization Of its
scope and purpose.
Problems Of Conference.
In one sense, no doubt. there is no
need that I should report to you what
was attempted and done at Paris. You
have been daily cognizaAt of what was
going on thereof the problems with
which the peace conference had to deal
and Of the difficulty of laying down
straight lines of settlement anywhere
on field on which the old lines of In
ternatiOnal relationship, and the new
alike, followed so intricate pattern
and were for the most part cut so deer
by historical circumstances which
dominated action where 1t would have
been best to ignore or reverse them.
The cross currents of politics and o
interest must have been evident t
you Ut would be presuming in me t
, attempt to explain the questions whicl
. arose or the many diverse element
. that entered into them. shall attemp
something less ambitious than tina
and more clearly suggested by my dut
to report to the congress the part
seemed necessary for my colleague
and me TO play as the representative
of the government of the Unite
States.
That part was dictated by the FOl
America has played In the war and b
the expectations that had been create
In the minds of the peoples with whoi
we had associated ourselves In tins
7 great struggle.
1g Saw Supremacy of Right Penlied.
eu The United States entered the WI
upon a different footing from evei
l. other nation except our associates G
this side the sea. We entered 1t, N
II because cur material interests We
directly threatened or because any sp
= cial treaty obligations to which v
en- were parties had been violated, b
"a Only DSCuuSG we SHW Tic BupICthA1
nd and even the validity, of right ever
IIy where put In Jeopardy and free go
'tie eminent likely to be everywhere Ii
20 periled by the iatOierable aggressi'
~, - OF a power which respected Meth
right nor obligation and whose We
=. system Of government hOuted {
ses, rights of the citizens as against t
2 autocratic authority OF his governor
And In the settlements of the pea
sse we have sought no special reparati
. for ourselves, but only the Festorati
of right and the assurance Of libeI
everywhere that the effects of the s
Element were to be felt. We enter
the war as the disinterested champiO
of right and we interested oursel,
In the terms of the peace In no otf
capacity.
United States Timely Aid.
The hopes of the nations all
against the central powers were al
very low ebb when our soldiers beg
= to pour across the sea. There was
II erywhere amongst them. except
ri their stoutest spirits. a somber 10
boding of disaster. The war ended
al November eight months ago, but J
nj have only to recall what was feal
II In midsummer last, only four sh
months before the armistice. to ID
ize what IT was that our timely
~ accomplished alike for their NOR
zs.e. and their physical safety.
go The first, never-to-be-forgotten
4 q ton at Chateau ThIerry had alrea
- taken place. Our redoubtable sold
~ and marines hac already closed
!. gap the enemy had succeeded In OF
IL ing for their advance upon Paris
. already turned the tide Of battle b