The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-10-11

New York Herald: Yesterday
there was printed letter adj
dressed on Monday by President
Wilson to Senator Spencer Of
Missouri containing this crude and
direct imputation of untruthful-
ness:
Have just been shown your
statement that my secretary's
denial Of the previous statement
by you that had promised
American military aid to Ruman-
ians and Serbs was issued by him
without my knowledge and sane
tion, and that you did not for a
moment believe that I had made
any such denial or that the matter
was ever called to my attention
by Mr.. Tumulty and that re-
quested him to issue the denial
to which you refer. I reiterate
the denial. The statement you
made was false"
The incident is of SURPRISING
Importance, beyond the ordinary
interest which attaches to such is
sues of yeracity. This matter
goes to the very heart of the
question whether the honor" of
the United States is engaged by
such pledges as were made at the
conference by President Wilson
on his individual responsibility
but in the name of the govern
ment of which he was the self
appointed representative; honor
which can be preserved, as ne
persistentIy maintains, and piedg
es which can be redeemed only oy
entering his league of nations and
becoming a party to his covenant.
Senator Spencer stated in one OF
his campaign speeches that Presl-
dent Wilson at Paris, when urg-
ing upon representatives OF the
minor powers like Rumania and
Serbia a recognition by treaty
of the right of the greater pow
ers to intervene in domestic at
fairs in behalf of minorities. had
promised in return guarantee
of American military assistance
in case of attack on the frontiers
of the smaller powers.
4
When Secretary Tumulty issued
from the white house a statement
characterizing Senator Spencer's
language as absolutely and I'M
qualifiedly false" the senator,
with his democratic colleagues
speech of last February in mind,
concrete and uncontradicted on
the record, declined to accept the
Tumulty denial as authoritative
and in consequence we have the
foregoing denial from Mr.. Wilson
himself. equally positive and equal
ly truculent. And our nelghpor
the World is thereby encouraged
to pronounce the reported speech
of Mr.. Wilson to the Rumanlans
and Serbians "a fabrication" "a
characteristic forgery" piece
of characteristic impudence,'
downright forgery" an instance
of deliberate mendacity and cal
culated falsehood" and so on.
The truth of the matter is that
the incident occurred at session
Of the council of four IN the
peace conference on May 81, 1919.
So
The session of the council at
which the president is alleged to
have promised military aid from
this side of the Atlantic was Sc
cret, but stenographic record OF
the proceedings exists. MI.
Frank II. Simonds, whose historl-
cal impartiality and habit OF
trustworthiness require no GER
tificate, came into possession OF
President Wilson's speech in full,
in the French official version
Mr.. Simonds was enabled, with
out breach of confidence. to pub
lish in the New York Tribune OF
December 9, 1919, these uttte-anc
ces and pledges and assurances
Of the American president which
had never before seen the light.
Some of the passages OF MI
wilson's reported speech OF May
81. 1919, in plenary session, now
acquire extraordinary importance
in view of this issue of veracity
between the president and the
republican senator's. They en-
body Mr.. Wilson's conception OF
The extent tn which American