New Britain herald., 1919-12-27


 on January 5. It's adoption by the Su- preme Council caused a storm of protes and indignation all over fthe world. The invita- tion was accepted by the Bolshe wiki the Esthonians, Let's. Lthuanians Ukrainians and the Independent govern
 ments of the Crimea. Ii was indignantly
 repudiated by the North Russians. tho Omsk government. General Horvath anG the Georgian Republic. Delegates were appointed by Great Britain. France, Italy and the United States, among the latter being Professor George D. Heron, whose Iadvocacy of free love doctrines in this country had gained him notoriety som Iyears ago. The opposition to the scheme, however was so strong that it was finally |quietly dropped. H
 League of Nations.
 The conference on January p declared lin favor of the proposed League of Ma tions to prevent war. It was strongly urged by President Wilson, but was im- Imediately opposed by some of his DO litical opponents in this country, espe- lcialy in the Senate A commission was appointed to perfect a constitution and on March 20 neutral natons were invited to propose amendments. On April 10 pro- |vision was adopted that the covenant of the league should not affect the Monroe Doctrine The revised covenant was pre- sented to the full conference on April es, Sir Eric Drummond was later named Secretary General, it's provisions were embodied in the peace treaty handed To the German delegates at Versailles and to the Austrians at St. Gerrnain on May z and June 9 respectively. On June 2 the German National Assembly authorized signing the peace treaty, to which it's delegates affixed their signatures on June 2S at Versailles, All the allied and associated Powers at the same time signed the treaty except China, who ob- i,ot tn rl possession of the former. German colony of kiao-chou.
 Henry Cabot Lodge. who had opened a campaign in the Sena te during the win ter against the League of Nations, was aided by Senators Knox Johnson and d3orah. and one, of the last acts of the Sixty-fifth Congress on March l was to present & resolution signed by thirty seven Republican Senators recommending it's rejection. Mr. Lodge as head of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Sixty-sixth Congress was able to re- orSa nize the committee so as to present formidable opposition to the league. On the other hand many prominent Republ- cans took the ground that the League Of Nations was necessary to prevent future warfare in the world, among them beins former President Taft, who on March ap peared in it's advocacy on the same plat form in New York with President Wilson, The latter had returned to tho United States February 24 but again sailed for Europe on March to take part in the peace conference.
 With Republicans in control of both houses the Sixty-sixth Congress met on May 19 and the Presidents message re- ceived by ca be from Paris was delivered the next day In it Mir. Wilson recom mended the repeal of wartime prohibl- tion and the passage of the woman suf- frage resolution. President Wilson left T1, ,;e l., Inc Ina peace treaty and sailed from Brest for New York on June 29, arriving on July 8 and leaving in the evening for Wash in gton. He presented the treaty of Yer sailles to the Senate on July 10. Debate began on July IA. The President re- quested the Senate to allow him to ap point a temporary member of the Repara- tions Commission for execution of the trdaty pending ratification. The For eign Relations Committee, headed by Senator Lodge by a vote of 10 ', on July p, refused the request. Senator Lodge asked the State Department for 8 copy of an alleged secret treaty of October, 1918. between Germany and Japan and was informed that no such treaty existed. Reservations.
 Next the Foreign Relations Commit tee prepared number of reservations, some of which former President Taft de- clared would kill the treaty and instead he suggested number of intcrpretative reser- vations which would not alter the intent of the pact. Charles F. Hughes also off, fered reservations and seven Republics Senators favorable to the treaty en- deavored to effect compromise with it's opponents. Senators Lodge, Bo- rah and Johnson. President Wilson held a conference with the Foreign Rela tions Committee on August 19, endeavoring to he ohieCtiOns of the RApllb- lican majority but failed.
 What was perhaps an oversight on the part of the President was corrected by Senator Lodge, who called for copy of the tri-partite agreement between France, Great Britain and the United States by the terms of which the Ia tier Powers will immediately aid France in case of any unprovoked act of aggres- sion by Germany. The last article of this treaty required its submission to the Senate at the same time IS the treaty of Versailles, which had not been done. In reply. President Wilson submitted the document on July 29. asking for it's early The Senate Judiciary Sub- Committee appointed to consider it's le- sality reported on August 19 that it was not in conflict with the constitution. Ac- ton on it was deferred by the Foreign Relations Committee.
 On September 10 MT. Lodge presented the committees report on the Versailles treaty, signed by nine Republican Sen ators, recommending thirty-eight amend nents and four reservations. The Demo- cratic minority report contended that the proposed changes would amount to rejec- tion of the treaty. Senator McCumber. presented an individual mi nority report, which was a scathing crItl- cism Of the majortN's report, which. he said had substituted irony and sarcasm for argument.
 President Wilson meanwhile had under taken tour of the country in behalf of the peace treaty, leaving Washington on September 3 His arguments were direct ed chiefly to showing that if America re- fused to take her share of peace adjust m ents throughout the world she would pe obliged to maintain large standing army and continue to live under ncreasng His tollr rkied him tha Pa cliff