River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1919-07-17
Makes Assertion That League of
Free Nations Has Become
practical Necessity"
MEANS RELIEF FROM WAR
Chief Executive Refers to lt as an
indispensable lnstrumentaIity for
the Maintenance Of the New
Order Set Up In World"


and prayer offered by the chaplain,
Rev. Forrest j. Prettyman, who asked
divine guidance for the senate and the
/ chief executive in the work it 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
o. 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 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 a treatise. Ny
services and all the information pos
sess will be at your disposal and at
the disposal Of your committee on
foreign relations at any time, either
Informally or in session, as you may
prefer; and hope that you will not
hesitate to make use of them
/ shall at this time, prior to your
own study Of the document, attempt
only general characterization of it's
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 cognizant 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 a 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 deep
by historical circumstances which
dominated action where it would have
been best to ignore or reverse them.
The cross currents Of politics and of
interest must have been evident to
you. 1t would be presuming in me to
attempt to explain the questions which
arose or the many diverse elements
that entered into them. shall attempt
something less ambitious than that
and more clearly suggested by my duty
to report to the congress the part it
seemed necessary for my colleagues
and me to play as the representatives
OF the government of the United
States.
That part was dictated by the role
America has played in the war and by
the expectations that had been created
In the minds Of the peoples with whom
we had associated ourselves in that
great struggle.
Saw Supremacy of Right PeriIed.
The United States entered the war
upon a different footing from every
other nation except our associates on
this side the sea. We entered it. not
because our material interests were
directly threatened or because any spe-
cial treaty obligations to which we
were parties had been violated. but
only because we saw the supremacy,
and even the validity, of right every
where put in jeopardy and free gov
eminent likely to be everywhere i'm
periled by the intolerable aggression.
of a power which respected neither
right nor obligation and whose very
system of government fiouted the
rights Of the citizens as against the
autocratic authority of his governors.
And in the settlements of the peace
we have sought no special reparation
for ourselves, but only the restoration
of right and the assurance Of liberty
everywhere that the effects of the set
Element were to be felt. We entered
the war as the disinterested champions
of right and we interested ourselves
in the terms Of the peace in no other
capacity.
United States Timely Aid.
The hopes of the nations allied
against the central powers were at
very low ebb when our soldiers began
to pour across the sea. There was ev-
eryWhere amongst them, except in
their stoutest spirits, a somber fore
boding Of disaster. The war ended in
November eight months ago, but you
have only to recall what was feared
in midsummer last, only. four short
months before the armistice, to real
ize what 1t was that our timely aid
accomplished alike for their morale
and their physical safety.
The first, never-to-be-forgotten ac-
ton at Chateau Thierry had already
taken place. Our redoubtable soldiers
and marines had already closed the
gap the enemy had succeeded in open
ing for their advance upon Parss-had
already turned the tide Of battle back
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