Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-05-27
The Threats to Dismember
The Covenant of Peace.
.HOSE obstructionists in the Senate who
talk of tearing the League of Nations


talk of tearing the League of Nations
covenant out of the treaty of peace
apparently overlook the boundaries of their
power as lightly as they disregard the mani
fest wishes of the people. That the treaty
will be submitted to the Senate for ratifca-
tion or rejection goes without saying, but it
will not be submitted for dismemberment and
distortion. The forces o. prejudice and par
tisanship can kill it, if they will; but they
cannot pick it to pieces and put it together
again with it's vtals left out If they are
ready to assume the responsibility of de-
ferring and endangering peace, they can cay
9 to the President and the American commits
sioners who sat in the Paris conference, and
to the Allied Governments as WELL, Your
labor has been in vain, because it does not
square with our political bias" But they
cannot smash the treaty and then remould
it to that petty bias.
Thu Senate's power in treaty-making has
been compared to the Presidents power in
law making. when bill has been passed
by the Houses of Congress- says a recent
writer the subject, cit goes to the Presi-
dent; who either signs it exercises his
right of veto; that is exactly what the Senate
does with treaty, the difference being that
the President makes his decision silently or
with message of explanation, while the
Senate debates differences of opinion held by
It's members Washington dispatches ind;.
cate that the authorities on International law
unit in advising that there would be no
warrant for attempting to amend the treaty
by so radical a stroke excluding the League
covenant, nor for attempting to insert new
provisions In this connection attention is
drawn to United States Supreme Court de
cision touching the treaty with Spain Said
Justice Brown in concurring:
obviously the treaty must contain the
whole contract between the parties, and
the power of the Senate is limited to a
ratification of such terms as have already
been agreed upon between the President
acting for the United States, and the com
missioners of the other contracting Pow
ers. The Senate las no right to ratify
the treaty and introduce new terms into
it, which shall be obligatory upon the
other Power, although it may refuse its
ratification make such ratifca-
ton condition upon the adoption
of amendments to the treaty. IT, for
tanned a provision Installing the inhab-
tants of the Philippines as citizens of the
United States the Senate might have re-
fused to ratify it until this provision was
stricken out. But it could not ratify the
treaty and then adopt a resolution de-
claring it not to be it's intention to admit
inhabitants of the Philippines to the
privileges of citizenship in the United
States. Such resolution would be in
operative as an amendment to the treaty,
since it had not received the assent of
the president of the Spanish commits
sioners."
Apparently, then there is more thunder
than fire in the threats of the Lodges and
Borahs and Reeds to strip the treaty of the
League covenant. Possibly, of course, they
will go the length of multiplying the great
work of the Paris conference and throwing
into dark confusion the promise of peace for
which hearts the world around are longing
But it is hard to imagine any American tax
ing such a course when the grim responsible
ity stares him fp1E- IN the eyes.
cold day in August would not seem SO
strange after all. -.--...-.. --.-