Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1919-03-07
DISCREDIT WILSON
REPUBLICAN PLAN
APPARENTLY HOPE TO uNIM.
IZE HIS INFLUENCE IN The
PARIS PEACE CONFER
ENCE
SENATOR HITCHCOCK REPLIES
With AutOcracics Overthrown, In
ternational League Against
War Now Possible and
U. 3. Should Take
Lead

Washington, d. c. Attacks made
by Republican leaders in the Senate
with the purpose of embarrassing
PRESIDENT Wilson's efforts to obtain
an international agreement for the
preservation of the worlds peace,
ana or minimizing his influence in
the Paris conference, were the sub
1ects of sharp rebuke administers /
by Senator Hitchcock of Nebraska.
chairman OF the senate Forcing Re
lat1ons committee.
In the course of reply to Senator
Hitchcock's reprimand of their par
tlsanship, Senator Borah of Idaho,
one OF the most vociferous of the
critics Of a League of Nations, con-
fessed that his attacks were directed
not at President Wilson and his
plans, but at former President Taft.
Il did not refer to the Presidents
league: for l am not yet informed as
to what 1t is; but l am referring to
the league represented by All ex-
President" (William II. Taft Sen
ator Borah explained
I'VE are not attacking anything
that the president stands for, so far
as we know; but we are attacking a
proposition which most distin-
guished member of our own party
stands for. Does the Senator Glitch
cock) object to our family quar-
rels?" the Senator inquired.
Partisan Crusade Wagcd
BY coincidence. the Republican
Senators who took part in the debate
were from three sections of the coun-
try--Knox from the East, kellogg
from the middle west, and Borah
from the Pacific Coast. Aside from
Sen. Borah's admission that there
was no agreement in Republican
ranks on the subject Of League of
Nations, the statements of these
senators indicated that they repre-
sented at least three different opin-
ions within their party.
All through their attacks on the
Presidents proposals., the Republi-
can senators who participated in the
debate interspersed complaints and
admissions that they were without
information as to the plans which
he was urging the peace conference
to accept. They confessed that they
were opposing not the Presidents s
proposals but their own conceptions
of what he advocates.
Senator Walsh of Montana re-
the Republicans that Presi
dent Wilson had not gone to Paris
with a specific plan which he pur-
posed to force upon the nations in
the conference. but with an outline
and basis of what should he adopt
ed as a foundation for world peace.
The constitution of the United States
Senator Walsh pointed out, was the
of many ideas. None of
the Originators of various plans for
n federal constitution regarded hi
scheme as final and perfect The
President. Senator Walsh said. went
10 the Peace Conference with an
open mind, ready to receive sugges-
lions from any quarter.
The outline of the League of Ma
lions, after formulation by the com
missions of delegates, Senator Walsh
said, will be submitted to the con
ference for consideration to emerge
as completed work in much the
same way that the federal constitu-
.ionaI convention.
Senator Hitchcock declared that |
some of the Presidents critics were
thinking in terms of conditions as
they were before the war, when a |
to prevent international
conflicts might have been doomed
TO failure.
League Possible Now
When this war began, OF all tho
great conqucring empires that the
world had known. with their might !
and their dream of conquest. only
.hree remained. Great Britain had |
norn,nn ico1Jy.
France had become republic. on
he plan of our own great republic;
Italy had become constitutional ,
The neutral nations were |
Of similar character. OF all the |
great nations of history dreaming of |
conquest. three only remained--Rus-l |
,ia, with her autocrat and her plan |
If conquest to the Pacific ocean and |
lown toward the south: Austria |
hungary, which in our own day Id |
swallowed up Bosnia and HerzegO |
yina, and which was still pressing to |
he east with her dream of conquest; |
Germany, which in our own day had |
eized Schleswig II olstein from Den
mark and Alsace-Loraine from
france, absorbed for more than
luarter of century with the dream
hree great empires were all that
emained of the historic conquering
iations of the world. They
ic in the dust, dead forever, gone.
With their disappearance from the
world has disappeared the last lin
,ering obstacle to international
'eace perpetuated by an information
i agreement. So ! say to the Sen
tor from Idaho (Borah) what could
ot have been done by an interna-
ional agreement before this war has
ecome possible now.
United States Should Lead
"To me IL is an inspiring sight
hat battle that is going on in