The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-11-28
Senator F.B. Kellogg Gives
Out Statement
REASON FOR ITS DEFEAT
Republicans Anericanized the
League Covenantane Oppo-
sition Killed 1t


rival from Washington, Senator
Frank B. Kellogg gave out the fol-
lowing statement:
81 regret exceedingly that the
treaty was not ratified with reserYa-
tions. Many of the republicans
worked earnestly from the start to
accomplish this object. These reser-
yations which were adopted by a
large majority of the senate were
prepared, not by the members of the
foreign relations committee, but by
tho friends of the treaty, and were
fair, reasonable. protected American
rights and American interests, and
did not destroy the treaty nor the
League of Nations.
AT the end, the American League
to Enforce Peace, including M. Taft,
President Lowell of Harvard, and
the men who so earnestly worked for
the treaty, endorsed every one OF
the reservations and advised the
ratification of the treaty with the
reservations, and made only one
suggestion. which was that the form
of the preamble be changed, and IL
that had been satisfactory to the
democrats. We. would have been will
ing to agree to il. The only difference
on this point was, instead of having
1t excepted by cur allies by exchange
of notes, to have the acceptance by
acquiescence.
For months, the friends of the
treaty on the republican side advised
the president and the democratic
So, cub
stance like those passed, would have
to be adopted, not only to ratify the
treaty, but to make it safe and salts
factory to the American people. But
they have all insisted, as the presi-
dent has, that the treaty must be
taken without the dotting OF an "i''
or the~crossing of st"
"The republican friends of the
treaty stood day after day and voted
against every single amendment to
this treaty which would necessitate
sending it back 10 Germany, and only
voted for reservations which would
not require tito be sent back to
Germany, and which would not
change the treaty as between other
nations, but would leave 1t as it is,
American people.
Presidents Arbitrary Attitude.
"In the main, these reservations
are what the president claimed the
treaty meant in any event. If that
was so, they had no reason to OBJ
ject to them except the presidents
arbitrary attitude that what he had
done must not be changed or de-
fined. AS a matter of fact, in my
judgment, some of the articles would
not bear the construction which the
president placed upon them, and it
was the plain duty of the senate OF
the United States to make the mean
ing clear.
II know that many members on the
democratic side who voted against
the treaty favored these reservations
and believed in them and voted as
they did because the president die
tated it. The talk on the last night
of the session about compromise
came with bad grace, because they
knew the reservations had to be
framed and voted on in the senate
before the resolution of ratification
could be. voted on at all, and not
afterwards, and the only time COM
promise could be had was before a
resolution of ratification was pro-
posed, which had to be one calendar
day after the reservations had been
agreed to, and during all that time,
they refused to entertain any com
promise whatever and stood for the
presidents uncompromising attitude.
As late as Tuesday morning, the re-
publican friends of the treaty. had a
meeting and notified Mr.. Hitchcock
the democratic leader, that IL he had
any propositions to make, he should
make them before the resolution of
ratification came to a vote, and he
declined to make any.
Americanized the Treaty.
Senator Nelson and / have from
the beginning, with other republicans
done all we could to insure the
prompt ratification of the treaty OF
and the League of Nations, with
protection to the interests of the
United States. AS a matter of fact,
the republicans Americanized the
treaty, the democrats killed it. We