The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1920-06-03
-VETOES THE KNOX PEACE

"Such a Peace" the President Said,
rs Inconsistent With the Very
Fundamentally of
Civilization"
Washington, May 28.-Presideent
Wilson today vetoed the Knox peace
resaolution declaring an end to the
war between the United States and
Germany and Austria Hungary.
The resolution, Wilson declared, is
in effect complete surrender OF the
rights of the United States, so far as
the German government is con-
cerned.
President Wilson bitterly con-
demned the resolution, declaring it
said nothing about the purpose of
which we entered the war. He listed
among these freedom of the seas, re-
duction of armaments, vindication OF
the rights of Belgium, the righting
of wrongs to France, release of
Christians under Turkish rule, aud
Polish outrages.
| Such peace with Germany-a
peace in which none of the essentia!
interests which we had at heart when
we entered the war is safeguarded' -
is, or ought to be, inconceivable, is
inconsistent with the dignity Of the
United States, with the rights ana
liberties OF our citizens and with the
very fundamental conditions of civil
lization.
The text of the Presidents mes
sage:
TO the House of Representatives
return herewith, without my sig
nature, house joint resolution 327,
intended to repeal the join. resolu-
ton April E, 1917, declaring a state
OF war to exist between the United
States and Germany, and the JOINT
resolution Of December 7, 1917, de-
claring a state of war to exist be-
tween the United States and the
Austro- Hungarian government, and
to declare state OF peace.
Il have not felt at liberty to sign
this joint resolution because can
not bring myself to become party to
an action wfrich would place inefface.
able stain upon the gallantry and
honor of rhe United States.
The resolution seeks te-e establish
Ipeace with the German empir- with
out exacting from the German gov
ernment any action by way 81 setting
fright the infinite wrongs which II ulc
to the peoples whom it attacked and
whom we profcsscd it our purpose
to assist when we entered the "ar
Have we sacrificed the live, OF more
than one hundred Thousand .hmerl
cans and ruined the lives u thous
lands OF others and brought upon
thousands OF American families al
unhappiness that can never end, tol
purposes which we do not care t.
state or take further steps to attain
The attainment OF these purposes
is provided for in the treaty Of Vcr-
sallcs by terms deemed adequate by
the leading statesmen and experts OF
all the great peoples who were assc-
ciated in the war against Germany.
| Do we now not care to yOn III the e1-
fort to secure them:
I'VE entered the war most reltct-
antly. Our people were profoundly
disinCtined to take part i'll a Euro-
pean war, and at last did SO only be-
cause they became convinced that 1t
could not III truth be regared as only
la European war; but must be regard
ed as war in which civilization IT.
self was involved and human rights
OF every kind as against bell!yercnt
government
| Moreover, when we entered the
war we set forth -Nery detl4Aaiee+y, ,t-t4+e
purposes for which we entered. part
iv because we did not wish to bc con-
sidered as merely taking part i'll a
European contest. This. joint reso-
luton which | return does not seek
to accept any OF these objects, but III
effect makes a complete SURRENDER OF
the rights of the United States 81
far as the German government Is
concerned.
"a treaty of peace WAS signed at
| Versailles June IS last which did seek
to accomplish the objects which we
| had declared to be in our minds, be-
cause all the great governments and
peoples which united against Ger
many had adopted our declarations
of purpose as their own and had IN
solemn form embodied them i'll cplE-
nunications to the German govern
ment preliminary to the arnistice
of November IL. 1913. But the treaty
as signed at Versailles has been re-
jected by the senate OF the United
States. though it has been ratified
by Germany. BY that rejection ard
by its method we have in effect de-
clarcd that we wish " draw apart
and pursue objects and interest ct our
own, unhampered by any conns':-
tions OF interests or purpose with
other governments and peoples.
Notwithstanding the fact that up
OH our entrance into the war we pro-
fcssed to be seeking To assist i'll t!.e
maintenance OF common interests.
nothing is said i'll this resolution
about the freedom of navigation u?-
on the seas. or the reduction of arm
aments, or the vindication of the
rights of Belgium, or the rectifica-
ton of wrongs done to France, or
the release OF the Christian popula-
tons of the Ottoman empire from
Tho ;utolerable St,biupatiOu which