Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-28
STAIN ON NU.S.HONOR,
WILSON DECLARES
OF KNOX PEACE PLAN
President Sharply Rebukes Con-
gress in Peace Act Veto'
Message.
THE VERSAILLES TREATY
is NOT SENT BACK
corrc<rondcncc BaItimore sun.


Washington, MAY 2S-President Will
son. in the most scathng message he has
vet addressed To the Congress, vetoed
Yesterday the joint resolution repeating
the declaration of war against Germany
and seeking TO restore n state OF peace
between the two countries without the
formality of a treaty.
An effort may be made to pass this
measure Notwithstanding the Presidential
disapproval but there is not the remotest
chance that such move will succeed
There is not believed to be two-thlrds
vote for the resolution either in the House
or Senate.
TREATY NOT RETURNED.
The President did not return the
Treaty of Versailles to the Senate in
connection with his veto. MS had been
anticipated in many quarters. He IS not
vet ready again to force ISSUES upon the
question. for one thing. and his message
tn,lav was sent to the House. and not To
the senate. because the House was the
first To pass it.
With the peace treaty rejected and
with the peace resolution passed by Con
prcss vetoed. the treaty-making and the
treatv-ratffving departments OF the gov
rrnmcnt are In n tighter deadlock than
ever before How and when the state
nf war that now exists between Ger
manv and the United States will bc
terminated nobody can foresce.
= Tho President shows not the slightest
inclination to Weld or to compromise
with the opposition to the Treaty ct
Versailles. His message today Indicated
that ~ clearly rs any other expression
winch has proceeded from him since the
Gght with the Senate began.
Hr c<sTlGArEs CONGRESS-.
His message was made the occasion
fnr a severe castigatlon of Congress for
Its willingness to sacrifice not only the
interest and aims Of America IN enter
lng the war. but the interests Of all the
governments associated with the United
states in the campaign against German
mlitarIsm.
Il cannot bring myself to become a
party to m action. the President de
cIared. which would place IN ncttaceablc
stain upon the gallantry and honor Of the
United States.
Few messages from any President to
HE Congress have contained more sting
mg rcbuke than i contained in that
passage.
But ihc Executive did not content
aim~cl( with one bolt He entered
,aillc~. saving that il safeguarded all the
interests Of America and the other pow
crs arraved against Germany which the
Congressional resolution, if it should
become effective. would Surrender.
lie adds, however. that the treaty
which had been 50 painstakingly ncgo-
liated. had been rejected by the Senate,
and that "hv its method VIC had IN effect
declared that we wished 90 draw apart
and pursue objects and interests Of our
1wn. unhampered hv any connections Of
interest or of purpose with other gov
crnmen,s and peoples.
VITAL INTEREST," NEGLECTED.
At that point the President called the
attention not merely of Congress but
4 the country to the vital interests Of
The United States and Of the Allied
,,awcrS which this iolnt resolution failed
lo safeguard This gill OF particular
i perhaps the strongest part Of the
entire message and undoubtedly will
have wider political effect than any
other phase Of the treaty issue save the
League OF Nations covenant itself.
Alter declaring that the United States
went to war IN order 10 maintain the
common interests of the cO-belhgercnts,
the President cited the fact that the
JOINT resolution said nothing about the
frcedom oI the seas; nothing about the
reduction Of arnamcnt$; nothing about
tho vindica;ion Of Belgium nothing
:.houf ratification 81 the wrongs against
France; nothing about the release Of the
Christian populations suhlugated by the
Ottoman Empire; nothing about the cs-
tablishmcnt OF an independent Poland
and nothing about an association of gov
ernDaDfS In f1rpvpnt such OutragcS as
Germany committed IN the future.
DEMOCRATS APPLAUD MESSAGE.
The message reached the House shortly
afternoon. It was read by the Clerk
and when the passage was reached men
tioning the freedom of the seas, the
Republican side of the chamber laughed
heartily. The Democratic side applauded
many passages OF the messages and rose
en- masse when the reading was concluded
Chairman Porter, of the House For
elgn Affairs Committee, announced that
no action would be taken toward bring
ing the resolution before the House for
passage over the veto of the President
before tomorrow. Meantime Republican
leaders viii confer over the futilIty OF
such action and it was generally under
stood this afternoon that no motion to
override would be made
There are few of the Republican
leaders however, who insist that the
resolution come TO a vote once more
and they may prevail upon the majority
to bring 1t up tomorrow or Saturday for
q Snal test of strength. As already
stated, there is not sufficient votes, ii is
declared, in the House to override the
veto.