Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-10-11
Text Fails to
Substantiate
Allegations
Official Report Of Will
sons Speech in Paris
Reveals No Promise
of Aid

Washington, Oct. 1.-THE White
House made public today what was
described as an 'oficial version of
President Wilson's address al ...e
eighth plenary session of the Paris
peace conference. The exact word
ing of this address, directed TO the
representatives of Roumania, Ser
bia and CzechoSlovakia, has been
the subject of a controversy be-
tween the president and Senator
! Spencer, republican, Missouri.
The senator had declared in a
political speech that the president
had promised Roumania and Ser
| bia that If any nation ever invad
ed their territory ne would send
the American army across the seas
TO defend their boundary lines"
Official Version Given.
The presidents words as given in
the Official version follow:
How can power like the IJri.
ted States, for example-and | can
speak for no other--after signing
thistreaty, if it contains elements
which they do not believe will be
permanent, go three thousand
miles away across tn sea and re-
port to its people that it has made
settlement of the peace Of the
world? 1t. cannot do so. And yet
there underlies all of these trans
actions the expectation on the part.
Tor example( of Roumania, and of
lCzecho-Solvakia and of Serbia,
that If any covenants of this settle
ment are not observed, the United
States will send her armies and her
naVies to see that they are OBJ
served"
The official version of the full
text of the presidents address wa
furnished to the White House last
week by Fred A. Carlson of Chi
cago, who, was an official steno-
grapher with the American peace
delegation, and who wrote that he
would "be glad to swear to the ac-
curacy' of the transcript.
Translation Blamed.
4 Mr.. Carlsons letter was dated
October 6 and was addressed tc
) Charles l.. Sven, stenographer tt
heh ad read Senator Spencer's re.
ply to the president in the Chicago
newspapers; that he had just gone
over his notes and that he coult
lind mo such statement" as tina
attributed to Mr.. Wilson by tn,
senator. He added that it wa!
barely possible that the quotation
was from a translation into Eng
y lish of M. MantouX's translation il
to French of the presidents re
marks, and as you know, the trans
= lations sometimes mixed things III
= a Bit
= Il wish l were in a position tt
t make public what he said,' wrot,
: Mr.. Carlson, for | feel that tbs
president is sadly misquoted fbut O
= course, as the meeting was Sc
cret, l can say nothing"
= Mr.. Carlsons letter was mad
o, public by Secretary Tumulty will
q this comment: This letter speak
# for itself"
r Senator Spencer. in his reply t.
f President Wilson's telegram of Oc
p tober said the statement wrrc!
he had attributed to the preside1
E was made upon the floor of tn
a senate February 2, 1920, by Sena
=, tor Red, and so far as l have learn
ed has never been denied unit
now"
In his speech of February
Senotor Reed quoted from copy
;, righted syndicated article by Fran
yrrh tnl, a
give the text of the presidents ad
dress at the eight pleanry sessio
and which Senator Johnson, reput
iican, California, caused to be in
serted in the Congressional RECORD
December 4. 1919.
To Opposition Report.
Along with Mr.. Carlson's trar
script, the White House issued
parallel columns for comparison
" the version of the president
J speech as given in Mr.. Simond
gressional Record
> In the opposition column froi
u the official version of the pres
!. dents words as previously quote'
y appears the following:
"a How could the government
~ the United States go before tn
~, congress and the people of II
- United States and pretend that
had assisted in insuring the peat
- of the world, if it believed that tt
-. settlement agreed upon here col
tanned unstable or dangerous alIe
ments? If the world should !
ha troubled again, if the condition
- which we all regard as fundamen
al. are challenged, the guaranti'
which will be given you will pleds
them United States will send |
ok = o.u tie7t aoi oss 'iie