Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1920-06-04
President Returns Knox Peace
Resolution to Congress With
out His Signature.
MEASURE IS ASSA|LED
Such Methods of Making Peace De-
clared "ineffaceabe Stain" On
Honor of Naton-lmportant
Objects of War Omitted.

Washington-The peace resolution
has been vetoed by President Wilson.
The text of the Presidents message
follows:
81 return herewith, without my sig
nature, House joint resolution 327, in
tended to repeal the joint resolution OF
April 6, 1917, declaring state Of war
to exist between the United States and
Germany, and The joint resolution OF
December z, 1917, declaring a state OF
war to exist between the United States
and the Austro~ Hungarian government,
and to declare state OF peace. have
not felt at liberty to sign this joint
resolution because | cannot bring my
self to become party to an action
which would place ineffacable stain
upon the gallantry and honor OF the
United States This resolution seeks
to establish peace with the German
empire without exacting from the Ger
man government any action by way OF
setting right the infinite wrongs which
it did to the peoples whom it attacked
to assist when we entered the war.
Have we sacrificed the lives OF
more than 100000 Americans and
ruined the lives of Thousands of others
and brought upon thousands of Amer
lean families an unhappiness that can
never end for purposes which we DO
not now care to state or take further
sx1O +tni ont nf
these purposes is provided for in the
Treaty of Versailles by terms deemed
adequate by the leading statesmen and
experts of all the great peoples who
were associated in the war against
Germany. Do we now not care to join
in the effort to secure them?
1--WE entered the war most reluctant
ly. Our people were profoundly dis
inclined to take part in a European
war and at last did so, only because
they became convinced that it could
not in truth be regarded as only a
European war; but, must be regarded
as war in which civilization itself
was involved and human rights of
every kind as against a belligerent
government
Notwithstanding the fact that upon
OUR entrance into the war we protested
to be seeking to assist in the mainte-
nance of common interests, nothing is
said in this resolution about the free
dom of navigation upon the seas, or
the reduction of ornaments, or the
vindication of the rights of Belgium, or
the rectification of wrongs done to
France, or the release of the Chris
tian populations of the Ottoman en-
pire from the intolerable subjugation
which they have had for so many gene
rations to endure, or the establishment
of an independent Polish state, or the
continued maintenance of any kind Of
understanding among the great powers
of the world which would calculate
prevent in the future such outrages as
Germany attempted, and in part con-
summated
1--WE have in effect declared that we
do not care to take any further risks
or to assume any further responsible
tiles with regard to the freedom of ma
lions or the sacredness of internation-
al obligation or the safety of indepen-
dent peoples Such peace with Ger
many-a peace in which none of the
essential interests which we had at
heart when we entered the war is
safeguarded-is, or ought to be, incon-
ceivable, is inconsistent with the dig.
nifty of the United States, with the
rights and liberties of her citizens and
with the very fundamental conditions
of civilization.
81 nope that in these statements /
have sufficiently set forth the reasons
why l have felt it incumbent upon me
to withhold my signature.
WOODROW WILSON,"