The sun., 1919-09-23
SENATOR THOMAS
RENOUNCES TREATY
Colorado Democrat Says the
Issue Is Greater Than the
Party.
ITS PHRASES ABH0RRENT
"Freighted With a CHASTITY
, Cargo of Future War;" He
Writes State Committee.
ITS PHRASES ABHORRENT
sn.oial ps.patoh 70 Tan SUI.

economical and practical, cannot uruer
my oath Of office cast my vote for the
ratification Of this treaty In Its present
form"
In these words Charles s. Thomas,
Democratic Senator from Colorado re-
nounced to-day the last tie binding him
to affiliation with the supporters OF the
Presidents frantic pleas for immediate
ratification without amendment, ana
aligned himself definitely with the oppo-
sition to the treaty. The announcement
was embodied in letter, in which SEN
ator Thomas told the Colorado state
Executive Committee of the Democratic
party that the question before the Senate
was one involving points OF far higher
Importance than mere partisanship. He
called their attention to the time-honored
proverb that partisan lines vanish at the
shores of the Republic.
Senator Thomas had received an APP
peal from Philip Hornbein, chairman OF
the committee, urging him to aid In
the early ratification Of the treaty and
not to embarrass the President by oppo-
sition. In an exhaustive presentation
Senator Thomas set forth his reason
why as a sworn legislator of the Amer
lean Republic he could not barter his
vote for partisan acknowledgement
Issue a National One.
The letter in part follows:
1.-THE operation of the covenants or
this treaty upon us. will be neither In
dividual nor partisan, but national. Our
attitude toward 1t should be national
also. It is an old and trust true
saying that we are partisan within our
geographical boundaries and American
beyond them. The truth of this now APP
proaches the supreme test, and 1t will
be a sad hour for our country II 1t does
not survive the ordeal.
81 am fully aware that some -erpinent
Republicans, of whom Senator Borah is
an example, insist that the covenant OF
the League of Nations not only should
be but is in fact a party issue. I know
too that much of the opposition to 1t is
inspired by partisan motives. and Re-
publicAns have no monopoly of this at
titude for many Democrats are SINH
larly disposed in the other direction
But the wisdom OF the mass, too OBJ
viously resentful of this tendency. will
effectually check its acceptance.
"Since l entered public life I have
affiliated with and recognized the obli-
cations of the Democrats, but I have
never for a moment permitted any party
In the exercise of the treaty making
power, and SO long as I remain in the
Senate / never will.
eff the league when established would
function as SO confidently asserted by
its supporters, many of whom are not
familiar with all it's provisions would
accept It, But II 1t does not. and
fear It will not SO function, the reaction
among these very supporters will justly
make us the first object or our condem-
nation. since ours was the responsibility
of final action.
"victOr's Treaty of Force"
THE President in the New York
address last March declared that the
league would be so woven into the gen.
eral fabric OF the treaty that It would
be very difficult to separate 1t there
from That has been done. Hence one
must familiarize himself with the entire
document or he cannot intelligently COM
prehend the nature and probable opera
ton of the league. My opinion is that
this is a victor's treaty. a treaty of
force. treaty Of punishments, or parti-
tons, a treaty burdened with conditions
accepted by the vanquished only at the
point of the sword. Doubtless Germany
deserved it's punishment and much more,
but the treaty is nevertheless freighted
with a CHASTITY cargo of future war, only
waiting opportunity for their bloody de-
velopment.
Germany like France before her, will
submit to her burden only so long as
she must Both herself and Russia are
excluded from the league. 1t now seems
probable that she can and win control
that great but suffering nation In the
near future and operate within her vast
dominions unhindered by any treaty
limitations Russian Bolshevism means
and has always meant German activity
In Russia. Through Lenine she has &C
qujred ownership OF a majority Of Rus
sian manufacturing equipment The
population OF the two countriesis fully
100000 more than twice that Of
Great Britain, France and Italy. and
equal to the combined population OF
these three countries and the United
States.
All Russia AntaEonixed.
"And we have anita gonized all ele-
ments in Russia by a hesitant and inef-
fective policy, obnoxious to the present
dominant class and deservedly unsatis-
factory to the rest of the Russian people
Poland, Czecho-Slovakia and the Balkan
States, are bitterly resentful of the
boundaries prescribed for them, some OF
which must be hereafter defined by pleb-
iscites. Moreover. they are populated
by composite but conflicting races, whose
bloody collisions have been OCCASIONALLY
avoided in the past by a dominating au-
thority now wholly removed.
Italy has no intention Of abandoning
her demand for Fiume. nor Is Jugo-Sla-
via less determined to retain It. Italy
clashes with Greece in Albania and Asia
Minor. while France and England even
now look at each other askance for theIr
advantage points in Syria and Palestine
Across the Pacific the Shantung problem
looks large and sinister. All these stu
ations. with others of minor Importance
lurk in the treaty. their outlines scarcely
concealed by the elaborate phraseology
of its ponderous recitals.
"Rumania has just defied the author,
fly OF the Allied and Associated Powers
overrun Hungary and arrogaRtly refuses
to surrender a foot OF the occupied terri.
tory. Hungary must be protected by the
Allies. II at all. and that seems impossi.
bic except by armed Intervention.
DO you perceive any prospect OF re.
storing normal conditions hereby merely
settling the international problems of the
league, or that when one of these storms
breaks from 5000 to 5000 miles from
America the burden of their suppression
must fall upon America because ours Is
IprTrAV