Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1920-09-07

men who had no interest in the Unit
ed states, who thought in terms of
thelr own countries and not of ours.
ana who were determined to protect
thelr own governments and their own
interests above everything else.
There was no special hostility ON
their part to the United States. On
the contrary, they wanted America s
friendship But it was not their bust
ness TO seek TO protect American in
serests not to make the covenant con-
FORM to the peculiar requirements of
Americas constitution or to the ira
diuons, policies and fixed rules of
Americas foreign relations.
president Wilson admitted that the
basis of the covenant was not his
own. He said he had made his origi-
nal draft from the Phillimore report.
obtained from England, and then had
revised 1t to embody the principles of
the draft prepared by General SHUTS
and Sir Robert Cecil. But his draft
was not even considered by the Peace
conference. 1t was not even dis
cussed. The draft that the conference
accepted was the Smuts-Cecil docu-
ment. To this President Wilson con-
tributed but one article, the famous
Article 10.
President Wilson was allowed to
open the league of nations discussion
IN the peace conference session OF
January 20, 1919 He talked eloquent
ly of mandates from the American
people, of instructions which he dared
not compromise or abate. In the light
Of his complete abandonment of the
Fourteen Points and his surrender in
compromise after compromise, this
pretense that the American people aad
commissioned him as the champion oil
the .eague OF nations is worCny .,
toXtual quotation:
You can imagine gentlemen, the
sentiments and the purpose with
which representatives of the United
States support this great project foi
a league of nations. We regard it as
the keystone of the whole program
which expressed our purposes and
ideals in this war and which the AS
sociated Nations accepted as the basis
of the settlement. If we return to the
United States without having made
every effort in our power to realize
this program, we should return t.
meet the merited scorn of our fellow
citizens. For they are a body thai
constitutes a great democracy They
expect their leaders to speak theil
thoughts and no private purpose o.
their own. They expect their repre-
sentatives to be their servants. W.
have no choice but to obey their man
date. But it is with the creates
enthusiasm and pleasure that we ac
cept that mandate and because this i.
the keystone of the whole fabric, w,
have pledged our every purpose Il
it, as we have to every item of the fab
rio. We would not dare abate a sin
gle item of the program which con
stitutes our instructions. We would
not dare compromise upon any matte
as the champion of this thing-thii
peace of the world, this attitude o
justice, this principle that we are tn,
masters of no people, but are here Il
to see that every people in the worlC
shall choose it's own masters and gov
ern it own destinies, not as we wish
but as it wishes.
you can see that the representa-
tives of the United States are, there
fore, never put to the embarrassment
of choosing a way of expediency, be
cause they have laid down for then
the unalterable lines of principle
And, thank God, those lines have beef
accepted as the lines of settlement b,
all the high-minded men who hav
had to do with the beginnings of thi
great business"
President Wilson was made tn
chairman of the special commission
Of the Peace conference to deal witt