Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-10-11
Made Public In An Effort To
Show That The Statement
Made By Senator Spencer
In Political Speech Was
Not Correct.

NOt VOITeCl.
= Washington, Oct 11.-(By the sAs-
sociated Press. THE White House
made public today what was de-
scribed as an Official version Of
President Wilson's address at the
eighth plenary session Of the Paris
peace conference. The exact wording
resentatives Of Rumania. Serbia and
Czecho- -Slovakia has been the subject
of controversy between the prest-
dent and Senator Spencer, Republican,
Missouri.
The senator has declared in po-
;itical speech that the president had
promised Rumania and Serbia that
If any nation invaded their territory
he would send the American army
across the seas to defend their boun- :
Brands it Falsc.
Mr.. Wilson. in telegram to the
senator on October S. said that this
Senator Spencer called for the omcial
record, saying that the statement to
which he had referred was in the
"stenogra phic notes of the eighth
plenary session. in which the presi-
dent was reported to have said"
Ou must not lOFSeL LIAL II 10
force that is the final guarantee Of
the peace of the world. If the world
is again troubled the United States
will send to this side Of the ocean
their army and their feet"
The presidents words as given in
the official version follow:
How can power like the United
States, for example-and I can speak
for no other-after signing this treaty,
if it contains elements which they do
not believe will be permanent, go three
thousand miles away across the sea
and report to its people that 1t has
made settlement of the peace of the
| world? 1t cannot do SO. And yet
there underlies all of these transac-
tions the expectation on the part, for
| example, of Rumania and of Czecho-
Slovakia and of Serbia. that il any
covenants OF this settlement are not
observed, the United States will send
her armies and her navies to see that
/ they are observed"
Carlson Gives Report.
The official version of the full text
nished to the White House last week
by Fred A. Carlson Of Chicago. who
j was an official stenogrApher with the
| American peace delegation, and who.
1 wrote that he would be glad to swear
to the accuracy of the transcript.
Mr.. Carlson's letter was dated Qc-
itober s, and Was addressed to Charler
L. Swem stenographer to the preef-.
! dent. He explained that he had read
Senator Spencer's reply to the preSi-
dent in Chicago newspapers; that he
had just gone over his notes and that
he could find mo sucn statement" as
that attributed to Mr.. Wilson by the
possible that the quotation was from
a translation into English Of NJ.
! Mantoux's translation in French of
the presidents remarks. as you know.
the translations sometimes mixed
things up bit" ~,
Il wish I were in a position to make
! public what the president said wrote
Mr.. Carlson. "for feel that the presi-
dent is sadly misquoted. but, of course,
as the meeting was secret one, can
say nothing"
! Mr.. Carlson's letter was made pub
lie by Secretary Tumulty with this
comment:
This letter speaks for itself"
( Senator Spencer. in his reply to
f; President Wilson's telegram of Oc-
tober 5. said the statements which he
had attributed to the president was
made upon the floor OF the senate on
February 2. 1920. by Senator Reed.
and so far as I have learned has
never been denied until now
In his speech of February 2. Sena-
tor Reed quoted from a copyrighted,
syndicated article by Frank r.
Simonds. which purported to give the
text Of the presidents address at the
eighth plenary session and which
Senator Johnson. Republican. Cali
Hfornia. caused to he inserted in the
Congressional Record on December
4. 1919.
Compare Statements.
Along with Mr.. Carlson's transcript.
the White House issued in parallel
columns "for comparison" the YER
sion of the presidents speech as given
in Mr.. Simonds' article as it appears
in the Congressional Record.
In the opposite column from the
official version of the presidents
words as previously quoted, appears
the following:
How could the government Of the
United States go before the congress
and the people of the United States
and pretend that it had assisted in
insuring the peace of the world, il IT
believed that the settlement agreed
upon here contained unstable or dan
gerous alignments? If the world
should be troubled again. if the con-
ditions which we all regard as funda-
mental are challenged. the guaran-
tees which will be given you will be
the pledge that the United states will
send its army and fleet across the
ocean. 1t is surprising under such
conditions, that II should desire to
reach solution Of the various prob
lens which seem to 1t satisfactory ?"
j Wilson'S Address.
The text of Mr.. wilson's address a.
supplied to the White Houe by Mr..
Carlson follows:
'Mr. President. I should be very
sorry to see this meeting adjourn
with permanent Impressions sucn 40
it is possible have been created by
some of the remarks that our friends
have made. should be very sorry to
have the impression lodged in your
minds that the great powers desire 10
assume or play any arbitrary role IN
these great matters. or assume, be-
cause of any pride Of authority. to ex-
; ercise an undue influence In thesa
, matters. and therefore., 1 want to call
your, attention to one aspect OF these
questions which has not been dualt
upon. Is t32 & sis z 3ast vs.
I'VE are trying to make . pence
ful settlement, that II to say, TO elm
mate taose elements OF disturbances "a
far az possible, which may interfere
with the peace OF the world. ana ~
Il are trying to make an equitable dis
q. tribntion of territoFiess according u
the races. the ethnogrAp phical char
acter Of the people nhabiting thu
i Territories. 81 sss sss'
And back OF that lies the fundas
mentally important fact ahat WiASs
the decisions are made, TIA Aliis and
Il SrS..As....a -. ..ss ~ y q .s73.g9. ~