The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-10-12

II lS too soon to say what effect
President Wilson'S western tour has
had upon the 1ttitele of the United
States senate toward the peace treaty.
but that the effect throughout the com-
try has been definitely i'm the direction
of solidilying opinion i'm favor of prompt
ratification without change or reseiVl-
ton already seems obvious As Il re
suit Of the presidents speeches the
treaty and the league of nations coyen-
amt have been vigorously discussed,
doubts have been cleared away, and the
true purport of the engagements now
awaiting the scnate's ratification have
been thrown out i'm boder relief News
paper comment, previously hcsit1ut aud
ludctcrminate, has assumed firmer
tone, with Il tendency to call COR speedy
action Great bodies of voters have
welcomed the opportunity to listen to
the presidents cNpoSitons, have given
evidence of Weighing his statements
against the arguments of the league OPP
poucnts and have ended by applauding
the presidents S point of view Not even
thc indecOrOus and unfair reporting of
tine presidents meeting with western
audiences. such as that into which at
least one eastern newspaper was led by
partisan rancor has been able to dis
guise the fact that the people who lis
tened to the president in the west went
to hear him with a great question N
their minds ANA returned to their homes
with their question answered.
The president has not dodgol the S.
sue. He has shown himself rcpdy to
take up specific matters Of doub. in he
text or hearing Of the treaty. ana ne ras
set himself straghtforWardly to clear
away the difficulty 1t is significant,
therefore. that the cumulative effect of
his speeches has been, without doubt
to leave the whole subject better IN.
derstool than before; whereas it can
not bee denied that the senate dealings
with the matter, meanwhile, have tend.
ed rather to confus" the popular
thought than to clarity it. If effect may
be accepted as any guarantee of pur-
pose the purpose of much Of the senate
discussion of the treaty can be more
easily explained than defended That
the point Of view Of senate opponents
of the treaty has won no such hearing
in the west as has the point of view
OF the president seems to have been
indicated by the tact that those oppo-
nents who sought to follow him with
counterSpeeches found 1t eNpedient to
abandon Iher purpose.
In significance as well as in fact Cal
ifornia marked the elimination of the
presidents effort to move the country.
| nthat state. which turned the scale
for him i'm his last election. and in the
face Of the powerful influence of a
senator of national reputation from that
state as "a leader of the opposition at
| washington. the president met search.
ing questions ass TO the effect of the
treaty and answered those questions so
effectively that he turned eastward with
the assurance that California sentiment
| ndorsed the treaty and the league. That
Senator JOhnson's effort to turn back
| this tide of opinion will have any con
siderable success is matter of some
doubt. i'm view of the challenging of the
seantors attitude by a section of his
| own constituents. i'm the telegram made
public on Sunday from California edu
Gators and leaders Of opinion through
| the League TO Enforce Peace.
proh,lIv fine t,co oreotest obiactions
/ IA tbo tre,t, that b,va baar forcad
unon tba ,rasilant ,r. first the obiac.
tion that tbe United states can he ont.
voted ON matters TO be decided under
the league covenant. and therefore can