Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-08-26
~6ED
THE NERVE OF 1T

o meuulluS III tC iiS my 'N'
senate is certainly trying to out-do itself these days.
Having voted, last week, to amend the peace treaty SO as
to give the province of shantung to China instead of to Japan,
as had been agreed upon by the representatives of the twenty
three nations assembled at the peace conference, the senate
Foreign Relations Committee yesterday listened to the plea IN
behalf of the independence of Egypt. Between now and next
Thursday, according 10 the Washington correspondent OF the
New York Evening Sun, the committee will resume open hear
mos sto hermit other racial groups to present their cases to
The committee.n A delegation made up mostly OF negroes Will
he heard on Thursday on the disposition of the African colo
MES.
.on Friday" the Evening Suns correspondent goes on TO
say. Representatives of Lithuanians, Ukralnlans, Esthonlans
and Let's will be heard. Irish nationalists will be given an OPP
portunity to make their arguments Saturday morning. Repre-
sentatives of Greece will be hear in the afternoon The Hun
oarian- American Federation will be given a hearing on Mon
day. and so on, just as if the Foreign Relations Commlttee were
the whole show in the adjustment of world wide affairs.
OF course, the other twenty-five nations that had a part
in winning the war have nothing to say in this matter at all
The wonder is that they even bothered to send delegates TO the
peace conference at Versailles. All that was necessary was
IL refer the whole business of making a satisfactory adjustment
TO the little group of Republicans in the United States senate
But. perhaps, the other nations were not aware oil the great
wisdom of this group at that time.
TO he sure. why have a League of Nations when there are
such uper-statesmen as Henry Cabot Lodge, OF massachusetts,
and philander C. Knox, of Pennsylvania, to adjust all interna-
uOudl disputes
We were mistaken yesterday when we predicted that after
settling the Shantung affair to their own satisfaction these SEN
ators would take up the problem of the final disposition Oh 'he
Islands of the Pacific. We were not aware oil the elaborate
program the august senators had before them. But probably
after they have arranged the peace treaty to suit the Chinese
the Egyptians, the African Negroes, the Lithuanlans, the oK-
rainians, the Esthonians, the Irish nationalist, the Greeks and
The Hungarians, there will be time enough to take up the Pa
cifc islands problem and see that this is properly adjusted, 100.
Truly, it is some contract that the Foreign Relations Com
mittee has on its hands. If it can adjust all these od Worlu
matters so as to suit all factions 1t will have accomplished
something that the delegates at the peace conference could not
do after seven months of the hardest kind OF workout then
what do the leading statesmen of all the greatest countries OF
the world amount to when compared with the Honorable Henry
gabot Lodge and his colleague, the Honorable phiander U.
Knox? 1t must be delightful to have such an opinion OF ones
Deli.
But, in the meantime, the people of the world, and par
fcularly the people of the United States, are growing restless
over the continued suspense regarding a final peace. Inc
American people would much rather have a League of Nations
take up and adjust all these many problems of the different
races and nationalities of the earth than for the members OF
the United States senate to waste their time over affairs that
are entirely beyond them. 1t is all well enough for the Honor
able Henry Cabot Lodge and the Honorable Philander C. Knox
to fatter themselves by having these various delegations from
all over the earth, who could not get exactly what they wanted
at the peace conference, appeal to them as the final court, but it
doesn't mean anything. 1t doesn't help restore peace in the
world. 1t doesn't help reduce the cost of living. 1t doesnt add
anything to American prestige, even, because, in the end,
somebody is bound to be disappointed.
1t is plain that nothing will suit the Irish nationalist and
the Egyptians but for us to go to war with Great Britain, to
help them gain their freedom. The Chinese will insist upon
us taking up arms to drive Japan off Chinese territory; the
Iithuanians, Ukrainians, Esthonians and Let's will be satisfied
with nothing short of war on Russia and in order that their in
dependence may be established; the Greeks would have US as
sit them drive out Bulgaria and the Hungarians want our sup
port in fighting the Roumanians - all of which constitutes
quite a contract and would probably keep American boys fight
ing on foreign soil for some time to come.
Granted that there is some justice to the claims of all. of
these, it is about~the biggest piece of effrontery that has yet
come out of Washington for the little group of Republican SEN
ators to set themselves up as the ones who know it all.
The fact that there are SO manyi International questions to
be settled, however, only emphasizes the need of some sort