The sun., 1919-10-19
REED BARES EVILS
OF PACT AT GARDEN



wanted their country to strike out upon
that dangerous road.
There was no essential part of tho
League OF Nations covenant that Reed
did not analyze from an American point
of view. He proved by the words of
the covenant itself that Great Britain's
six votes m the assembly of the League
mean six votes not one. He showed
by the terms of the document that the
assembly. as the leagues court of last
resort. the final court to which any ma
tional dtputant can take its cause. has
voting power, despite the Presidents as
sertion to the contrary. and he asked
whether or no American citizens cared
to entrust to any body wherein for
eigners have the bulk of decisions ques-
|. tons that are purely American, such
as questions arising under the Monroe
Doctrine or questions touching immlgra-
ton.
But the meat of Reeds speech, the
striking power of 1t, lay in his exposure
of the attempted deceit practised on the
people. He maintained that the league,
as proposed. would be a most fertile
cause of war instead of an insurance
against It,
Asks Reason for Haste.
He asked why such haste in unquali-
ned ratification had been insisted upon
In contempt of the constitutional rights
of the United States senate. He in
CURED why it has been necessary to utter
false statements. And he asked his
hearers to believe that men who have
taken time to examine the covenant
/, honestly, intelligently and fearlessly are
Z aware that 1t is perhaps the greatest
, danger that ever threatened the country.
Senator Reed spoke for more than two
hours, with no interruption save APP
plause.
The meeting was opened by Lee Mer-
riwether of Missouri, campaign manager
for the League to Preserve American
; Independence. He spoke briefly, merely
putting the question if the people OF
, the United States desired to barter their
independence. Mrs. Olive Scott Gabriel
acting chairman of the American
Women Opposed to the League OF Ma
tlons, followed to introduce the chair
man of the mass meeting, John E. Mil
holland.
Mr.. MilholIand's Speech.
Mr.. AIilholland said in briefs
Il have endeavored. and the commit
tee has acted in entire harmony. to
make this meeting thoroughly repre-
sentative of this great, composite, this
\ wonderful nation of ours, the United
Q States of America, 1t was, / regret to
say. undertaken by some at the begin
{. ming to make it a sort of narrow gauge.
one track affair. in which only those Of
4the elect should come in. only those
should be allowed to play in the game
who belonged to a certain sect or
coterie. That was all swept aside, and
we have laid the foundations Of the
meeting Just as broad as our great
nation itself, and so / say that there is
not to-day a more truly representative
gathering of American citizens than that
which is assembled here tonight to con-
slider the situation that confronts us. one
Of the most serious we have had since
the surrender at Yorktown.
I'VE have been to the bat on this
matter. We have put an acid test upon
this movement. We have gone in our
appeal, to Caesar, to Caesar, the great
mass of American citizens. We have
had some remarkable experimental tests
as to whether the American people were
or were not interested in this matter of
saving the republic You will recall two
cor three instances easily, and you may
think this is paradoxical in view of the
somewhat magnificent result achieved in
Massachusetts, the other day. But call
your attention to the fact that while
there was a somewhat remarkable puz-
zling result in the Republican State Con-
vention, there was a very healthy out
come of the Democratic State Conven-
ton at the same time and the same
place. We also had another test.
"As you will recall, we had a test
down in old Kentucky. The Eighth dis
trict of old Kentucky has been demo-
cratic and faithful along those lines
since Daniel Boone began business on
the Ohio River There has never been
any doubt as to how the Eighth dis
1trict would go, even when dear old
BRADLEY carried the State for the Repub-
lican party. But the last test came less
than two months ago. when that dis
frict met the issue squarely upon this
question Of the League of Nations.
League Candidate Loses.
81 "A candidate who stood for that was
one of the best men in the State, chair
man of the Democratic State Committee.
The issue was joined from beginning to
end The district was normally $500
Democratic; but when the fight was
over and the returns counted, 1t was
carried by the man who opposed the
League of Nations by something like
1900 votes
Nov that is what you call going TO
the mat in earnest. The second test
came when the Seventh Alabama district
held an election, which was called in
consequence of the death of Mr. Barnet
and the same issue was made. There
was no lodging, there was no shuffling
there was no half and half affair. The
candidates decided to fight 1t out on
that issue. Should the United States
of America become a party to this
Ubiquitous thing, the League of Nations
or should 1t not. 1t was fought out
and the normal majority of the Demo
Gratis of that district was taken from
something like 3,400 down to $50. Don't
you see that the acid test, how it has
been applied, what the result Is and
why we should not be carried away by
this tremendous assembly here in this
great metropolis, l..
n mot only here. in New York, not
only in the far East, down all through
the West and all through the South, as
we'll as the North, the people are against
this League of Nations, and when the
people are against it, II does not make
any difference in tho world what TTi; }
be done to stem the tide.-Eor. you might
as well try TO roll up Niagara in g
peanut she'll as to go against the Amer
lean people when they have made VI
their minds what they propose to do.
Mr.. Milholland then introduced Sen
ator Reed and out of the crash OF ap
plause came n voice: "Oh, you homes
Democratw The Senator laughed ant
waved a hand and slowly the tumul
subsidized.
Senator Reeds speech.
y Senator Reed said