Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-10
Committee on FOREIGN
Relations Presents
Its Report.
PROPOSES TO "GUARD
AMERICAN RIGHTS
Majority Statement Denies Thst
Changes Would Reassemble
Peace Conference.

SA0uSSS VVOAu NSoeSSAAUsS
Peace Conference.
Characterized as an alliance and not
| a league which will breed wars in
stead of securing peace" the German
peace treaty. including the covenant
for the league of nations. was for
mally reported to the Senate today by
| the foreign relations committee with
forty-five amendments and four reser-
| vations.
/ 1t will be the first great document
| of it's kind to be discussed in the open
without the confines of executive
session."
Majority Report.
! Accompanying the treaty was the
majority report of the foreign re-
| lations committee subscribed to by
every republican member excepting
Senator McCumber of North Dakota.
/ explaining the amendments and reser.
; were governed by a single purpose
, and that is to guard American rights
| and sovereignty, the invasion OF
which would stimulate breaches OF
1a1Cn, encourage COuulCtS anu SSuO~
! rate wars"
The reservations proposed:
1. Unconditional right to withdraw
! from the league.
2. Defamation by the United States
| to accept any of the legal or moral
1 obligations of the much discussed ar
/ ticle 10, or to accept any mandatory
| from the league except by action OF
the Congress of the United states.
3. Reserving to the United States
| the exclusive right to decide what
i questions are within its own domestic
| jurisdiction.
4. Absolute reservation of the
/ Monroe doctrine to the judgment OF
the United States alone.
Principal Amendments.
The principal amendments are pro-
Equal voting power for the United
States with Great Britain in the as
sembly of the league.
Giving to China instead of Japaa
the province of Shantung.
| Relief of the United States from
having representatives on commits
sions deciding matters in which it has
| no concern.
| Others concern phraseology.
These amendments and reservations,
the majority report says. are submitted
| Ito preserve American Independence
and American sovereignty, and thereby
| best serve the welfare of mankind.
! Fears that other nations may net
accept an amended covenant the report
dismissed with the statement:
THAT is one thing that certainly
will not happen. The other
nations will take us on our own terms,
for without us their league is a wreck
and all their gains from victorious
peace are imperiled.'
That the adoption Of amendments
-
peace conference the report denies. as
serting that the conference probably
will be in session for six months more
! in Paris and might as well be lat least
as usefully employed" as they now
are in dividing and sharing south
eastern Europe and Asia Minor
German delegates, the report con-
tends, could easily be. brought to
Paris, and as Germany is not a mem
Der of the league she need not be con-
suited about changes of the cove
nant.
Discusses Claim Of Delay.
At the outset the majority report
deals at length with criticisms of de-
lay and points out that whereas the
peace conference took six months to
agree on the treaty. the Senate foreign
relations committee has had forty
seven working days. Demands for
speed "in the most important sub
ject that ever came before the Senate
of the United States" the report says.
were largely the work of the adj
ministration and its newspaper orr
ganS."
A second artificial" demand for.
haste, the report says. came from
certain great banking firms which
had direct pecuniary interest in Sc
curing an early opportunity to reap
the harvest" in the adjustment OF
financial obligations of the warning
thinking outcry of many excellent
people who desired early action, and
for the most part had never read the
treaty or never got beyond the words
league of nations which they be-.
lieved to mean the establishment OF
eternal peace"
ITO yield helplessly to this clamoE"
declares the report, was impossibie
to those to whom was intrusteI the
performance of a solemn public duty.
Senate's Responsibility.
Recalling the Senate's responsible
ity as equal with the Presidents, the
report recounts at some length the
difficulties the for eign relations COM
mittee experienced in getting infor.
to send to Paris for maps, being COM
PEELED to get important information
from press reports" and having at
it's disposal few official documents.
Collateral treaties having a bearing.
the report says, the committee was
unable to get. OF the sum of infor-
nation received in conference with
President Wilson and Secretary
Lansing, the report remarks: a
1.-The people themselves know how !
much information in regard to the
treaty was received by the COMMITTEES
upon those two occasions"
While criticism for delay has been
aimed at the foreign relations COM
mittee the report points out. no ac-s
ton has been taken by France, ia
pan or Italy. The argument that the
treaty speedily should be ratified that
trading with Germany might begin
the report dismisses as rather faded"
and declares the United States has
been trading with Germany since the
signing of the armistice in increasing
volume. The statement that trade
cannot be resumed until the treaty
is ratified is characterized as a
mere delusion."
Mr.. Lodges Amendment. III
In presenting the committees report
to the Senate, Chairman Lodge AM
nounced that next Monday he would
ask the Senate to take up the treaty.
adding: -
"And shall endeavor to keep II be-
fore the Senate until disposed OF.
Vice President Marshall asked whether