Evening star., 1920-05-27
PRESIDENT SENDS VETO
ON PEACE RESOLUTION;
"STAIN ON u. S. HONOR"
TEXT OF PRESIDENTS
PEACE VETO MESSAGE

PreS1QenC wilson message Netoihi
he republican peace resolution fol
lows:
To the House of Representa-
tives:
1 return, herewith, without my
signature. House joint resolution
327. intended to repeal the joint
resolution of April s. 1917, de-
claring a state of war to exist
between the United States and,
Germany, and the joint resolution
of December z, 1917, declaring
state of war to exist between the
United States and the Austro-
Hungarian government. and to
declare q state Of peace. 1 have
not felt at liberty to sign this
joint resolution because 1 cannot
bring myself to become party to
an action which would place in
effaceable stain upon the gall
lantry and honor of the United
States.
The resolution seeks to estah-
lish peace with the German en-
pire without exacting from the
German government any action by
way of setting right the infinite
wrongs which it did to the peo-
pies whom it attacked and whom
we professed it our purpose to as
sist 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 thou
sands of American families an
unhappiness that can 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 associ-
ated in the war against Germany.
Do we how not care to join in the
effort to secure them?
We entered the war most re-
luetantly. Our people were pro-
foundly disinclined to take part in
q European war, and at last did so,
only because they became con-
WINGED that it could not in truth
be regarded as only a European war.
which civilization itself was in
volyed and human rights of every
kind as against a belligerent gov
ernment. Moreover, when we en-
tered the war we set forth very
definitely the purposes for which
We entered, partly because we did
not wish to be considered as merely
taking part in a European contest.
This joint resolution which 1 re-
turn does not seek to accomplish
any OF these objects, but in effect
makes complete surrender of the
rights Of the United States SO far
as the German government Is con-
cerned.
A treaty Of peace was signed at
Versailles on the twenty-eighth of.
June last which did seek to ac-
complish the objects which we had
declared to be In our minds, be-
cause all the great governments
and peoples which united against
tionS of purpose as their own and
had in solemn form embodied them
in communications to the German
government preliminary to the
armistice of November II. 1918.
But the treaty as signed at Ver-
sailles has been rejected by the
Senate Of the United States. though
it has been ratified by Germany.
By that rejection and by its
methods we have in effect declared
that we wish to draw apart and
nj M -
own. unhampered by any connec-
tions of interest or Of purpose with
other governments and peoples.
notwithstanding the fact that
upon our entrance intosthe war we
professed to be seeking to assist in
the maintenance OF common inter-
ests. nothing is said in this reso-
luton about the freedom of navi-
cation upon the seas. or the reduc-
tion of ornaments, or the vindica-
tion of the rights of Belgium, or
France, or to the release of the
Christian populations Of the Otto
man empire from the intolerable
subjugation which they have had
for so many generations to endure.
or the establishment of an an in
dependent Polish state, or the con-
tinued maintenance of any kind of
understanding among the great
powers of the world which would
be calculated to prevent In the fu-
ture such outrages as Germany at
tempted. and, in part, consum-
mated.
We have now in effect declared
that we do not care to take any
further risks or to assume any
further responsibilities with re-
gard to the freedom of nations or
the sacredness of international OBJ
legation or the safety of tndepend-
ent peoples. Such a peace with
Germany 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. inconceivable. is in
consistent with the dignity of the
United States, with the rights and
liberties of her citizens. and with
the very fundamental conditions
of civilization.
l hope that in these statements
I have sufficiently set forth the
reasons why 1 have felt it incum-
bent upon me to withhold my
WOODROW WILSON.
The White House,
May q, 1920.