The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-05-12
WILSON SOUNDS
BATTLE CRY
ALI Loyal Democrats Must Stand
Fast Against Enemies of
Treaty

Washington, May "a call to the
Democratic party to so into the cam
paign standing four square IN favor
of the treaty Of Versailles was issued
tonight by President Wilson in q tele-
gram to Oregon Democratic leaders,
made public ct the White House.
Declaring that the party had the
honor of the nation in its hands, the
President said that the Lodge reser-
vations were utterly inconsistent
with that honor, as we'll as destructive
of the role Of world leadership which
the United States must assume.
The only true Americanism, the
President said, was that which puts
America at the front Of free nations
and redeems the great promises which
we made to the world It would be
a violation OF such promises, he said,
to attach reservations to the treaty.
which "whittle it down or weaken 1t,
as the Republican leaders of the Sen
ate have proposed to do"
The telegram was in response to the
following message from G. f. Hamak-
er, of Portland. Oregon, chairman OF
the Multonohah County Democratic
central committee.
primary election May 81. Please
wire whether you consider 1t lmpor-
tant to nominate candidates pledged
| to ratify Versailles treaty without
Lodge reservations.
The reply Of the President follows:
ct think it imperative that the par
| ty should. at once proclaim itself the
uncompromising champion of the ma
tons honor and the advocate OF ev-
erything that the United States can DO
| in the service Of humanity; that 1t
should, therefore, endorse and sup
port the Versailles treaty and con-
de:nn the Lodge reservations as utterly
! inconsistent with the nations honor
! and destructive of the worlds leader
ship which it had established. and
which all the free peoples of the world
including the great Powers themselves,
had, shown themselves ready to well
come
ct is time that the party should
proudly avow that it means to try
without hinching Or turning at any
time away from the path for reasons
of eSpediency. to apply moral and
Christian principles to the problems
tof the world. 1t is trying to accom-
plish social, political and internatlor.-
| al reforms, and is not daunted any
of the difficulties it has to contend
with. Let US prove to ouf late asso-
| ciates in the war that, at any rate,
| the great majority party OF the ma
ton, the party which expresses the
true hopes and purposes of the peo-
pie of the country, intends to keep
faitk with them an peace as Well as
IN war. They gave their treasure,
!thcir best blood and everything that
| they valued in order, not merely to
beat Germany, but to effect a settle
ment and bring about arrangements
Of peace which they have now tried
! to formulate in the treaty, Of Yer
sailles. They are entitled to our sup
port in this settlement and in the ar
rangements for which they have striv-
en-.
| .sThe League of Nations is the hope
Of the world. AS basis for the arm
istice, I was authorized by all the
great fighting nations to say to the
enemy that it was our object, in pro-
posing peace to establish a. general
association of nations under specific
covenants for the purpose Of afford
ing mutual guarantees Of political IN
dependence and territorial integrity tc
great and small states alike, and the
covenant of the League Of Nations is
The deliberate embodiment OF tina,
purpose in the treaty OF peace.
'.The chief motives which led us te
enter the war Will be defeated unless
i that covenant is ratified and acted
! upon with vigor We can not in homo,
white it down Or weaken it, as the
Republican leaders Of the Senate have
proposed to do. If we are to exercise
the kind OF leadership to which the
founders Of the republic looked for
ward and which they depended upor
their successors to establish, we must
! do this thing with courage and unal-
te.able determination. They expect
ed the United States to be always The
leader in the defense Of liberty and
ordered peace throughout the world
and we are unworthy to call ourselves
the successors unless we fulfill the
great purposes they entertained and
proclaimed.
.'The true Americanism. the oriy
true Americanisrn, is that which puts
America at the front of free nations
and redeems the great promises which
we made the world when we entered
the war which was fought: not for the
advantage OF any single nation OF
group of nations, but for the salvation
Of ALL It is in this way we shall re-
deem the sacred blood that was Shed
and make America the force she
should be in the counsels Of mankind.
She can not afford to sink into the
place that nations have usually occu-
pied and become merely one Of those
who scramble and look about for se!-
fish advantage.
The Democratic party has now q
great opportunity to which it must