Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1919 — PUTS PEACE UP TO U. S. SENATE [ARTICLE]

PUTS PEACE UP TO U. S. SENATE

"T """ Presldinl Wilson Says Body Must Act on Treaty to End the War. REPLIESTO FALL’S QUESTIONS Executive Declares That He Haa No Power to Declare Peace by Proclamation —■ German Colonies Taken in. Trust. Washington, Aug. 22.—The president hns not the power to declare peace by proclamation, nor could he consent in jny circumstances to take • course prior to the ratification of a formal treaty of peace by the senate. President Wilson so wrote Senator Fall in answer to one of the 20 written questions the senator presented at lhe White House conference Tnealay. Replying to another question the president said the provision of the treaty that It should come into force ifter ratification by Germany and hree of the principal associated powers operated merely to establish peace between those ratifying powers. It iras “questionable,” th® president adds rd, "whether It can be said that the League bf Nations is In any true sense created by the association of only three of the allied and associated governments.**

Colonies Taken In Trust To Senator Fall’s question relating to the disposition of Germany’s possessions, the president said the arrangement in the treaty conveyed no title to the allied or associated powers, but merely "intrusts disposition bf the territory in question to Their decision." President Wilson's letter to Senator Fall, replying to the senator's twenty questions on the treaty and the league of nations, is as follows: "My Dear Senator Fall: "You left yesterday in my hands certain written questions which I promised you I would answer. I am hastening to fulfill that promise. "I feel constrained to say in reply to your first question not only that In my judgment I have not the power by proclamation to declare that peace exists, but that I could in no circumstances consent to take such a course prior to the ratification of a formal treaty of pence. I feel it due to perfect frankness to say that it would In my opinion put a stain upon our national honor which we never could efface if, after sending our men tn the battle field to fight the common cause, we should abandon our associates in the war in the settlement of the terms of peace and dissociate ourselves from all responsibility with regard to those terms. "I respectfully suggest that, having said this, I have- to effect answered also your second, tfrifd und fourth questions so far as I myself am concerned. Peace When Treaty Is Ratified. "Permit me to answer your fifth question by saying that the provisions of the treaty to which you refer operate merely to establish peace between the powers ratifying, and that it la questionable whether it can be sfild that the league of nations is in any true sense created by the association of only three of the allied and associated governments.

“Id reply to your sixth question, I can only express the confident opinion that the Immediate adoption of the treaty, along with the articles of the covenant of the league as written, would certainly within the near future reduce the cost of living In this country as elsewhere, by restoring production and commerce to their normal strength and freedom. "For your convenience, I will number tjie remaining paragraphs of this letter as the questions to which. they are Intended to reply are numbered. “VII. I have had no official Information as to whether Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, or Switzerland will join the league. "Vm. I answered your eighth question In reply to a question asked me at our conference the other day. (This question referred to licensing of exports to Germany,) “IX. In February, 1917, Spain was requested to take charge of American Interests In Germany through her diplomatic and consular representatives, and no other arrangement has since been made. “X. The committee to prepare plans for the organization of the league, for the establishment of the seat of the league and for the proceedings of the first meeting of the assembly, has been appointed, but has not reported. "XL Article 118 of the peace treaty, part IV, under which Germany renounces all her rights to territory formerly belonging to herself or to her

allies was understood, so far as spe- v clal provision was not made in the treaty itself for Its disposition, as constituting principal allied and associated powers the authority by which such disposition should ultimately be determined. It conveys no title to .those powers, but merely Intrusts the disposition of the territory in question to their decision. “XII. Germany’s renunciation in favor of the principal allied and associated powers of her rights and titles to her overseas possessions is meant similarly to operate as vesting in those powers a trusteeship with respect to their final disposition'and government. League to Pass on Disposition. “XIII. There has been a provisional agreement as to the 'disposition of these overseas possession, whose confirmation and execution is dependent upon the approval of the league of nations, and the United States is a party to that provisional agreement. “XIV. The only agreement between France and Great Britain with regard to African territory, of which I am cognizant, concerns the redisposltlon of rights already possessed by those countries on that continent. The provisional agreement referred to in the preceding paragraph covers all the German overseas possessions in Africa as well as elsewhere. “XV. . No mention was made In connection with the settlement of the Saar basin of the service of an American member of the commission of flveto be set up there. “XVI. It was deemed wise that the United States should be represented by one member of the commission for settling the new frontier lines of Belgium and Germany, because of the universe oponion that America’s representative would add to the commission a useful element of entirely disinterested Judgment.

League to Pick Saar Commission. “XVII. The choice of the commission for the Saar basin was left to the council of the league of nations, because the Saar basin is for 15 years to be directly under the care and direction of the League of Nations.“XVII. Article 83 does In effect provide that five of the members of the commission of seven to fix the boundaries between Poland and CkechoSlovaks should be nominated by certain countries because there are five priifcipal allied and associated powers, and the nomination of five representatives by those powers means the nomination of one representative by each of those powers. “XIX. No such commission has yet been appointed. (The commission referred to is that for the fixtrig of the Polish boundaries.) “XX. It was deemed wise that the Qnlted States should have a renresen-

Native on rue cominitMlon set up to ..xerclse authority over the plebiscite at Upper Silesia for tbe same reason that I have given with regard to the commission for settling the frontier line of Belgium and Germany. -“Sincerely*’ yours.

"WOODROW WILSON."