Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-28
WILSON EMOTIONAL
I IN LEAGUE APPEAL
President Speaks What May Be
His Final Word in Present
Campaign
SHOWS EFFECT OF ILLNESS

Washington. Oct. 2S.-In nm appeal I
to the nation made yesterday through
the medium Of an address to DIR. Ham
flton Holt. editor of the. Independent.
and fourteen other pro league Repub-
licans at the White House. President
Wilson denounced spurious American.
ism which. he said, was being In
ployed in the presidential campaign to
trap voters.
Speaking from wheechair. with
voice trembling and eyes filed with
tears. he told of the fight he had
launched in Europe 10 cement the vic j,
tory Of American arms and bring about
lasting peace for the world.
The President spoke with great feel.
ing. Ii was plain that he is not strong
physically, but clear headed and quick
witted. His voice frequently broke with |
emotion during his address.
A formal statement issued bv the
members of the pro league. delegates
Z after they had left the White House. |
said the delegation was ''deeuly touched
BY the physical appearance of President
Wilson. who received them sitting. and
UiUlnlN SnOWPu InP pUPVlS OI ulS lOHS lll-
ness and the tremendous strain which |
he has been carrying.
Text Of Wilson'S Exhortatiou
The President said:
''My Fellow Countrymrn:
at IL to be feared that the supreme
issue presented for your consideration
In the present campaign is growing more
obscure rather than clearer by reason
Of the many arbitrary turns the dis
cussion of it has taken. The editors
and publishers of the country would
render q great service il they would
publish the full text of the covenant of
the League Of Nations. because. having
read that text. you would be able to
judge for yourselves a great many
things In which you are now in danger
Of being misled. hope sincerely that
II will be very widely and generally
published entire. 1t is with a desire
to reclnrify the issue and to assist your
judgment that | take the liberty OF
stating again the case submitted to you
IN as simple terms as possible.
Three years ago it was my duty to
summon you to the concert of war. to
join the free nations of the world in
meeting and ending the most sinister
peril that had ever been developed in
the irresponsible politics of the Old
Word. Your response to that call
really settled the fortunes Of war. You
VIII remember that the morale Of the
German people broke down long before
the strength of the German armies was
broken. That was obviously because
they felt that a great moral force which
they could not look in the face had come
into the contest. and that thenceforth
oil their professions OF right were dis
credited. and they were unable to pre-
tend that their continuation of the war
was not the support of a government
that had violated every principle Of
right and every consideration of hu-
manity.
Completion Of War Work
1T is my privilege TO summon you
now to the concert of pence and the
completion of the great moral achieve
sented and in the presence of which
the world found a reinsurance and a
recovery of force which it could have
experienced in no other way. We en-
tered the war. as you remember. not
merely to beat Germany. but to end
the possibility Of the renewal of such
iniquitous schemes as Germany enter.
tained: The war will have been fought
In vain and our immense sacrifices
thrown away unless we complete the
work We then began. and ] ask you to
consider that there is only one way to
assure the world of peace; that Is by
making it so dangerous to break the
peace that no other nation will have
the audacity to attempt il. We should
not be deceived into supposing that i'm :
periaistic schemes ended with the de-
feat OF Germany, or that Germany is
the only nation that entertained such
schemes or was moved by sinister am
bitions and long standing jenlousies to
sttack the very structure Of civilization.
There are other nations which ar!
likely to be powerfully moved or are al
ready moved by commercial jealousy.
by the desire to dominate and to have
their own way in politics ard in enter
prise. and it is necessary TO check them
and to apprise them that= the world
will be united against them as it was
against Germany il they attempt any
similar thing.
'"The mothers and sisters and wives
Of the country know the sacrifice OF
war. They will feel that we have misled
them and compelled them toy make an
entirely unnecessary sacrifice of their
beloved ones il we do not make IL as
certain as it can BE- made that no SINH
lar sacrifice will be demanded OF
mothers and sisters and wives in the
future. This duty is so plain that II
seems to me to constitute a primary
demand upon the conscience of every
of us that any men should have been 30
false or NO heartless as to declare that
the women of the country would again
have to suffer the intolerable burden and
privation OF war IL the League OF Ma
tions were adopted.
Pledge TO Resist Outrage
The League of Nations is the well
considered effort of the whole group OF
nations who were opposed to GERMANY
% secure themselves and the rest 0t
mankind against a repetition of the
war. II will have back of 1t the watch
fulness and material force Of all these
nations. and Is such a guarantee OF 0
peaceful future as no well informed
man can question who does not doubt
the whole spirit with which the war was
conducted against Germany The great
moral influence of the United States
will be absolutely thrown away II We
do not complete the task which our
soldiers and sailors SO heroiCaliy un-
dertook to execute.
"One thing ought to be said. and
- Raid very clearly. about Article y oi
the covenant Of the League of Nations,
It Is the specific pledge of the mem
bers of theSeague that they will unite
10 resist exactly the things which Ter
mnny attempted. no matter who at
tempts them in the future. IL Is as
4 exact q definition as could be given In
general terms OF the outrage which Ger
many would have committed II II
roitld