The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-06-01
VETOES
PEACE RESOLUTION

Says Resolution Declares in Effect
EhaE it Wished to Draw Apart and
F"s2rsue Objects and Interests OF
Our Own.
Washington, May 21.-The repub-
Iicz.n peace restitution was vetoed
to-day by President Wilson.
SIch method of making peace
with Germany, the president said,
7#o23ti place an inefaceaole stain
tapon the gallantry and honor of the
limited States"
Without announcing his intention
regarding the treaty of Versailles,
the president declared that The treaty
embodied the important things omit
ted by the resolution, and said that
by ,eiecting the treaty, the United
States had declared in effect that It
<s-shed ''to draw apart and pursue
srbiects and interests of our own
Iae presidents message follows:
~HTo the house of representatives:
s'I return herewith, without my
signature, house joint resolution 327,
intended to repeal the joint resolu-
aion of April 6, 1917, declaring a
state of war to exist between the
United States and Germany, and the
Joint resolution of December Z, 1917,
declaring a.state of war to exist be-
tween the United States and the
-Austro- Hungarian government, and
TO declare a state of peace. l have
not felt at liberty to sign this JOINT
resolution because l cannot bring my
self to become party to an acton
(which would place an lneffacable
stain upon the gallantry and honor OF
the United States. The resolution
seeks to establish peace with the
German empire without exactlng
from the German government any
action by way of setting right the in
finite wrongs which it did to the peo-
;o]eg whom it attacked and whom we
;orpiess it our purpose to assist
ws1er, we entered the war. Have we
sacrificed the lives Of more than
100000 Americans and ruined the
2iyes of thousands of others and
brought upon thousands of American
families an unhappiness that can
never end for purposes which we do
not now care to state or take fur
fher steps to attain. The attainment
of these purposes is provided for in
che treaty of Versailles by terms
deemed adequate by the leading
statesmen and experts of all the great
people who were associated in the war
apainst Germany Do we now not
care to ioin in the effort to secure
them?
Eve entered the war most reluc-
sanity. Our people were profound
8v siisinclined to take part IN a
European war. and at last did so only
because they became convinced that
It could not in truth be regarded as
eon1y a Eurorea can war, but must be
rsrarded as a war in which clvlllza-
ton itself was involved and human
wsehts of every kind as against
DeIigerent government. Moreover,
w2,en we en- cred the war; we set forth
very definitely the purpose for which
we entered, partly because we did
rot wish to be considered as merely
taking part in a European contest.
This icint resolution which return
{ dcas not seek to accomplish any of
these objects, but in effect makes
conplete surrender of the rights OF
tthe United States SO far as the Ger
man government is concerned. A
treaty of peace was signed at Versail-
..ses on the twepty-eighth Of June last
which did seek to accomplish the OBJ
iects which we had declared to be IN
pour minds, because all the great gov
sernments and peoples which unitee
against Germany had adopted our de-
eciarations of purpose as their own
and had in solemn form embodied
chem in communications to the Ger
man government preliminary to the
armistice of November IL, 1918. But
the treaty as signed at Versailles has
been rejected by the senate OF the
United States, though it has been ratl-
fled by Germany. BY that rejection
and by it's methods we have in effect
declared that we wish to. draw apart
and pursue objects and interest of
our own, unhampered by any con-
nections of interests or OF purpose
with other governments and peoples.
Notwithstanding the fact that up
son our entrance in the war we pro-
fessed to be seeking to assist in the
maintenance of common interests,
nothing is said in this resolution about
xhe freedom of navigation upon the
seas, or the reduction of ornaments,
or the vindication of the rights of
Belgium, or the rectifcation Of
wrongs done to France, or, the release
Of the Christian populations Of the
Ottoman empire from the intolerable
:suamgation which they have had for
80 many generations to endure, or
the establishment Of an independent
Polish state or the continued mainten- :
.anee OF any kind of understanding
among the great powers of the world
which would be calculated to prevent
IN the future such outrages as Ger.
many attempted, and in part consum-
mated. We have now in effect de-
,clared that we do not care to take
Z; any further risks or to assume any
further responsibilities with regard
f,,ooJop, of tho