The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-07

I ueuldl us duluOIltdLANcI anu Al SSh
sequence we have the foregoing de-
NAL from Mr.. WILSON himself, equally
positive and equally truculent. And
our neighbor the World is thereby en-
couraged to pronounce the reported
speech OF Mr.. WILSON to the Ruma-
mans and Serbians "a fabrication"
"a characteristic forgery" piece or
characteristic impotence" down
right forgery" an instance of ''delib-
crate mendacity and calculated false
hood" and so on.
The truth of the matter is that the
! incident occurred at session of the
Council of Four in the Peace Confer
ence on May 81, 1919. On the next
day our correspondent, Mr.. LAURENCE
HILLS, whose precision Of statement
Is as unquestionable as the accuracy
of his information, gave the sub
stance Of the events at that meeting,
without undertaking to report Mr..
WILSON'S utterances teXtually. He
spoke of the meeting as "the occa-
sion for the enunciation by the Coun-
Gil Of Four through the spokesman
ship of President WILSON himself,
Of a new principle in world politics,
revolutionary IN its effects and meal
culable in its consequences" That
new principle was that the big Pow
ers, on the ground that they must
preserve the peace Of the world,
could and would infringe upon the
sovereignty of the smaller nations to
the extent of prescribing how they
should treat minorities within their
borders" And in reply to the pro-
test Of NJ. BRATIANo, the Rumanian
Premier, against such a wound to SOW
ereignty, President WILSON was re-
ported by Mr.. HILLS sixteen months
ago as explaining to Rumania and
Serbia that 1t was the big Powers
that must guarantee the peace, and
this gave them additional right to die
tate how the small nations must treat
their minorities."
But as to what Mr.. WILSON said on
that occasion to Premier BRATIANo
of Rumania and to NJ. TRUMBITcH,
representing Serbia, we have since
had much more specific testimony.
The session of the Council at which
the President is alleged to have prom
ised military aid from this side Of
the Atlantic was secret, but steno-
graphic record Of the proceedings ex-
SITS. Mr.. FRANK III. SIMoNDs, whose
historical impartiality and habit of
trustworthiness require no certificate,
came into possession Of President
WILSON'S speech in full, in the French
official version. Mr.. SIAIoNDs was en-
abled. without breach of confidence,
to publish In the New York Tribune
of December 3. 1919, these utterances
and pledges and assurances Of the
American President which had never
before seen the light.
Some of the passages of Mr.. VIII
SONS reported speech of May 81, 1919,
in plenary session. now acquire ex-
traordlnary Importance in view of this
issue of veracity between the Presl-
dent and the Republican Senators.
They embody Mr.. WILSON'S concep-
ton of the extent to which American
guarantees would 60 once the treaty
had been accepted. AS Mr.. SIMoNDs
wrote at the time: IT have never
seen so admirable and complete def
milton of the Presidents views as to
the scope and spirit of the League of
Nations" We now quote from his
translation of the French version of
Mr.. WILSON'S remarks:
The Allied and Associated Pow
ers will guarantee the maintenance
OF the conditions which we shall de-
eide upon. having made those condi-
tons as just as possible. These Pow
ers are the nations which will under
take the contract AMI the burdens
on them will rest the chief RESPONSE
bility. just as, by force of circum-
stance. they have made the greatest
efforts during the war. And II is
necessary always 10 remember that
II is force which is the ultimate guar
antee of the public peace"