The Washington times., 1920-05-27
PRESIDENT VET0ES KNOX PEACE RESOLUTION
TEXT OF WILSON'S
MESSAGE VETOINC
KNOX PEACE PLAN

To the House of Representatives:
return. herewith. without my
signature, House Joint resolution
327. intended to repeal the Joint
resolution OF April 9. 1917. declar-
ing q state OF war to exist be-
tween the United States and Ger
many, and the joint resolution OF
December 2. 1917, declaring a
state of war to exist between the
United States and the Austro-
Hungarian government. and to de-
clare q state of peace. have not
felt at liberty to sign this Joint
resolution because ! cannot bring
myself to become party to an ac-
tion which would place ineYace-
able stain upon the gallantry and
honor OF the United States. The
resolution seeks to establish peace
with the German empire without
exacting from the German gov
ernment any action by way of
setting right the innnite wrongs
which II did to the peoples whom
II attacked and whom we pro-
fessed II our purpose to assist
when We entered the war.
Asks Pertfneat Qsestien.
Have we sacrificed the lives of
moro than 100. 900 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 II provided for
in tho Treaty OF Versailles by
terms deemed adequate by the
leading statesmen and experts of
all the great peoples who were as
ISOLATED In the war against Ger
many. Do we now not care to
join In tho effort to secure them?
We entered the war most re-
luctantly. Our people were pro-
foundly disinclined to- take part
In q European war. and at last
did so. only becausa they became
convinced that 1t could not. in
truth bo regarded ~ only . Euro
pean war, but must be regarded
as war in which civilization it
self was involved and human
rights Of every kind as against
. belligerent government. More
over. when we entered tho war
we set forth very definitely the
purposes for which we entered.
partly because we did not wish
to be considered as merely TAX
ing part in q European contest
Thy~ toinf rnSnInti4n uyhfnh Z "a
turn does not seek to accomplish
any OF these objects. but In ef-
feet makes . complete surrender
OF the rights of the United states
so far as the German govern
ment is concerned.
Silent On War Clains.
A treaty of peace was signed
at Versailles on June 2s, last
which did seek to accomplish the
objects which we had declared to
be in our minds. because all the
great governments and peoples
which united against Germany
had adopted our declarations 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 rejeced by the
Senate of the United States,
though it has been ratified by Ger
many. By that rejection and by
its methods we have in effect de-
clared that we wish to draw
apart and pursue objects and in
terests OF our own. unhampered by
any connections OF interest or of
purpose with other governments
and peoples.
Notwithstanding the fact that
upon our entrance into the war
we professed to be seeking to
assist In the maintenance Of COM
mon interests. nothing In said in
this resolution about the free
dom of navigation upon the seas.
or the reduction of armaments.
or the vindication of the rights
Of Belgium. or the rectincation OF
wrongs done to France, or the re-
lease OF the Christian populations
Of the Ottoman Empire from the
intolerable sub1ugation which
they have had for so many gen.
erations to endure, or the estab-
lishment of an independent Pol
ish state, or the continued main
tenance of any kind of under
standing among the great powers
OF the world which would be cal
culated to prevent In the future
such outrsges as Germany at
tempted. and in part consummat-
ed.
Sees Blow to Dignity.
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
obligation or the safety OF inde-
pendent peoples. Such peace
with Germany peace in which
none of the essential interests
which we had at heart when we
entered tho war is ssfeguarded-
is, or ought to be, inconceivable,
is inconsistent with tho dignity OF
the United States, with the rights
and liberties Of her citizens. and
with the very fundamental condi-
tions OF civilization.
hope that in these statements
have sufficiently set forth the
reasons why 1 have felt IL incum-
bent upon me to withhold my ste-
nature. WOODROW WILSON.