The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-30
SENATOR WOULD
REJECT TRUCE
Knox Warns "Hard and Cruel'
Treaty Contains Seeds of
Inevitable War.
1T CANNOT BE ENFORCED
Advocates Peace Decree by
Congress and League Formed
by All Nations.
1T CANNOT BE ENFORCED
Special Despatch to TIE srx.

Special Despdtch to THE SrN.
WASHINGTON, Aug. %. - Denounc-
ing the pending peace pact with Ger
many as mot the Treaty, but the
Truce of Versailles" Senator Knox
(Pa.) to-day urged upon the Senate
the necessity of fiat rejection of the
treaty with its League of Nations
complication. In its stead Senator
Knox would have Congress declare
that the end Of the war had been at
tanned and that peace has been ac-
tually achieved. Then the United
States should enter into a separate
arrangement with Germany looking to
the future diplomatic, commercial and
political relations between the two ma
lions.
Senator Knox held that the product
of the Paris Peace Conference brought
home by President Wilson contains
the virtual assurance of future wars
rather than the attainment of lasting,
permanent world peace. He advised
that II the instrument was not ca
pable of revision to the point where
the present dangers which it sets up
were removed then the Senate must
put this nation in such relation to the
treaty and to the Powers of the
world that our voice may hereafter,
as heretofore, be always raised for
peace"
Greeted with ApDlause.
The speech was listened to with
grave attention by n considerable ma
jority of the Senate. and throughout
it's delivery attentive galleries were
packed with an interested and notably
sympathetic throng. Through the
ninety-five minutes OF the speech's de-
livery the floor and galleries were in
silence. The close of the speech was
greeted with sincere, tempered, but
almost universal, applause.
Senator Knox took issue, early in
his address, with the pronouncements
| of President Wilson, made when he
appealed to Congress to declare war
/ against the Imperial German Govern
ment and coupled his appeal with the
statement that I'VE have no quarrel
with the German people" He In
sisted, however, that it was the Ger
man people who fought, who slew
American soldiers, who performed the
acts of brutality, vandalism and
cruelty, whether by direction of the
Imperial Government or of their own
peculiarly developed and trained will
! founded upon Prussian education.
He urged that Germany should be
made to pay to the full the debt in
Cured to civilization and to the ma
tions who had barred their breasts in
the struggle to preserve civilization
but he held that the price should not
be set at a point where the certainty
Of payment was jeopardized. This he
held was endangered by the method
of applying the united control of the
nations upon those activities Of the
German people in the numerous fields
of world commerce and industry
through which the power to earn and
the consequent ability to pay was to
be found.
DepIOres Ignoring of Russia.
Step by step Senator Knox analyzed
and criticized the terms of the peace
pact. Particularly he deplored the
ignoring of the vast problem presented
by Russia and warned that the atti-
tude of the conference in this regard
the neglect to provide some pro-
gramme for dealing with the Russian
millions OF acres and OF men, once the
tide of Bolshevism exhibits signs OF
subsidence, could result only in one
way-Russia's coalition with Germany
and perhaps at a later date with
Japan.
Senator Knox advocated the renun-
citation of all claims by the United
States for indemnity from Germany
and along with it all participation OF
membership in the myriad commits
sions, committees and boards provided
by the peace pact in every instance
in which there is the potential involve.
ment of the United States in the fam.
lily Jars of all Europe.
at is indeed a hard and cruel peace
that this treaty stipulates and / have
no objection 10 it's being so, but see nc
reason why we. who do no partake IN its
spoils, should become parties to its
harshness and cruelty"
Acauiescence in the unfairness of the
treaty, such as President Wilson had
felt himself forced to submit to In the
ease of Shantung. should not be perma.
nently placed in the trail of the Amer,
lean members OF the proposed commit.
ContiHusd on Fourth Paos.