Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-02-24
PRESIDENT MAY
WITHDRAW THE
PEACE TREATY
Warns the Allies They Must Plan
With the U. S.
WAIT REPLY OF PREMIERS
Shortest Diplomatic Note on Record
Was Not Threat, but a Plain
Statement of Situation
Message Not Made Public.

Message Not Made Public.
London, Feb 1S-The allied SUI
Dreme council handed to Ambassador
Davis its answer TO President Wilson's
communication on the Adriatic ques-
ton. The note was a modification, it
was said, of the one prepared on Sat
urday last.
The council let it become definitely
known that it had decided not to make
public textually President Wilson's let
ter or the councils reply.
The decision TO modify the note, it
was declared, was the result Of sugges-
lions from members of the council
themselves and not from Viscount
Grey, Lord Robert Cecil or Austen
Chamberlain, as reports prominently
circulated in France and England had
stated
May Withdraw Peace Treaty.
Washington, Feb. 1S.-President Will
son in his note to the allies on the FL
ume question has, after all, informed
them that if they proceeded with their
settlement of the Adriatic situation he
would consider the withdrawal of the
peace treaty from the senate.
While the presidents action has been
officially disclaimed as threat, the
fact remains that he set forth specifi-
cally to the allies the full consequences
of any action taken on the Fiume mat
ter without his knowledge or consent.
The presidents note was not made
public at either the White House or
the state department. In addition to
mentioning the peace treaty, however,
1t is understood that he may have indi-
Gated to France similar necessity that
would compel him likewise to with
draw from the senate the Franco
American defensive alliance pact,
wherein the United States promises to
go to Frances protection in case of
an unwarranted attack against her by
Germany.
All told, the presidents action
which, with the exception of the text
Of the note. was revealed almost en-
tirely, is the strongest move he has
yet made to impress Europe with the
knowledge that he has not given up
the treaty fight, that he does not con-
cede the treaty beaten, and further
more that he will not accept ratifica-
ton of the treaty unless article 10 is
intact.
Must Consult U. S.
His note, in brief, informs the allies
that he will not brook any action at
this time, without either his knowl-
edge, consent or approval, which may
later, on the assumption that the Unit
ed States will ultimately be a men,
Der of the League of Nations, commit
this country to responsibility in con-
nectiOn with uphOlding decisions to
which it was not a party.
The chronology of the latest chap
ter in the Fiume drama and the action
of the allies in leaving President Will
son entirely out of their reckoning,
was obtained here. 1t is as follows:
On December 9, 1919, there was
signed in Paris joint note on the FL
ume question by Great Britain. France
and the United States. This note was
delivered in London on December II
TO the Italian representative.
The note was referred to by the
then Premier Clemenceau when he
made a speech in the French cham
Der and described it as a joint pro-
posal of the three nations.
On January 8, before the supreme
council. Lloyd George said that he
had had a number of conversations
with Premier Nitti of Italy with re-
gard TO the note and had agreed to
certain, uninportant notifications. 1t
so happened, though, that those modi-
fications were in variance with the
American view.
On January 10 Premier Nitti
agreed to the modified form of the
note which was presented to Jugo-
Slavia in the form of a four-Gay ulti-
matum, with the alternate of accept
ance or action by the allies in falling
back on the pact of London. The
ultimatum was not accepted and has
been extended from time to time, and
the allies are still extending it.
Shortest Message on Record.
Meantime Ambassador Wallace had
reported to this government the
changes in the form of settlement Of
the vexatious question and toward the
end of January we notified the allies
that our position on Fiume was Un-
changed Nothing transpired so the
president dictated his short message
telling what he might be compelled %
do if the allies persisted in their ut.
titude and this was sent out on sia!,-
ruary 10 under the signature Of fc=--
mer Secretary of State Lansing She
presidents hote. which is sale - be
one of the shortest Diplomat mes
sages ever penned, does not eTebed ten
typewriter lines, but t'iec5 ten were
of matter that convGl.ts. the Euro
pean political system.
The presidents note Sc ateS that the
action of the allies, Il xse-mitted to go
unchallenged and ak. IL permitted to
go into effect woEld put the United