Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1920-06-02

PEACE RESOLUTION VETOED.
President Sends Message to House
Says Stain on Honor of u. S.

uSnIIfSlOH, May d. liz re-
publican peace resolution was vetoed
to-day by President Wilson.
Such Il method of making peace
with Germany, the President said,
would place an in~effaccable stain
upon the gallantry and honor Of the
United States"
Without announcing his intention
regarding the treaty Of Versailles
the President declared that the trea-
ty embodied the important things
omitted by the resolution, and said
that by rejecting the treaty the Uni
ted States had declared in effect that
it wished 't0 draw apart and pursue
objects and interests Of Il own"
Tho Message.
The Presidents message follows:
ITO the House Of Representatives:
II return herewith, without my
signature, House Joint Resolution
32I, intended to repeal he joint res
olutiOn Of April 6, 1917, declaring a
state Of war to exist between the
United States and Germany, and he
joint resolution of December 7, 1917,
declaring a state Of war to exist be-
tween the United States and the Aus
tro-Hungarian government, and to
declare a state Of peace.
81 have not felt at liberty to sign
this joint resolution because | can
not bring myself to become a party
to an action which would place an
ineffaccable stain upon the %gallantry |
and honor Of the United States. The
resolution seeks to establish peace
with the German empire without ex-
acting from the German government
any action by way OF setting right
the infinite wrongs which 1t did to
the peoples whom it attacked. and
whom we professed 1t purpose
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 Ameri-
can families an unhappiness that car
never end, for purposes which we do
not now care to state or take further
steps to attain? The attainment of
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
are to join in the effort to secure
them?
w entered the var most reluct-
antly. Our people were profoundly |
disinclined to take part in a Euro
pean war, and at last did SO only
because they became convinced that
1t could not in truth be regarded as
only Il European Il but must be
regarded as a val in which civiliza-
ton itself was involved and human
rights of every kind as against a
belligerent government. Moreover, |
when we entered the war we set
forth very definitely the purpose for
which we entered, partly because we
did not wish to be considered a
merely taking part in a EuropeaD
contest.
''This Joint resolution which r,
turn does not seek to accomplish ar
Of these objects, bat in effect mtk,
Il complete surrender Of the rights
Of the United States so far rs the
German government is concerned. A
treaty Of peace was signed, at YER
sailles on the twenty-eighth Of June
last which did seek to accomplish
the objects which we had declared
to be In our minds, because all the
great governments II peoples which
united against Germany had adopted
our declarations of purpose as their
w and a in solemn form m
bodied them in communications to
the German government preliminary
to the armistiCe Of November II,
1918. But the treaty as signed at
Versailles has been rejected by the
Senate Of the United States. though
it has been ratified by Germany. BY
that rejection. and by it's methods, |
we have in effect declared that we
wish to draw apart and pursue OBJ
jects n interests Of our own
hampered by the connections Of in
terests or OF purpose with other gov
ernments and peoples.
Notwithstanding the fact that
upon our entrance into the war we
p%rofessed to be seeking to assist in
the maintenance Of common inter-
ests, nothing is said in this %resolu-
ton about the freedom Of navigation
upon the seas, or the reduction Of
ornaments. or the v~indication Of the
rights Of Belgium, or the rcctitica-
ton of rongs done to France, or
the release Of the Christian popula-
tons Of the Ottoman empire from
the intolerable subjugation which
they have had for so many enera-
tons 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 be calculated to prevent in
the future such Outrages as Germany
attempted, and in part cOnsummat-
ed.
1--WE have now in effect declared
hat we do not care to take any fur
Their risks or to Il my further
responsibilities with regard to the
freedom OF the nations or the Sa-
.crcdncSs Of international obliga-
tons. or the safety Of Independent