Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-09
||IEREST IS KEEN
I'm LEAGUE DEBATE
Fifteen Thousand claAnor for
Tickets, but Only 5000 Can
BE Granted Admission
LEGISLATORS WILL ATTEND
Pepper Asks Hitchcock That
They confine Discussion to
Original Plan of World
Alliance

More than 10, 900 persons are anxious
TO hear the. league of nations debate
< that il scheduled for tomorrow night at
the Metropolitan Opera House. OF that
number not more than 5000 will enjoy
the privilege.
REQUESTS for seats and admission
tickets to the opera house have swamp
ed the agencies in charge of ticket dis
tribution and today officials of those
organizations closed shop.
That the debate between George
Wharton Pepper and Senator Hitchcock,
of Nebraska, will attract a record
breaking crowd was assured today when
II. c. Wilson. in charge of ticket dis
tribution, announced that 10000 per
sons have already been denied tickets.
Members of the Senate municipal af
fairs committee who will sit at the pub
lie hearing on the charter bills in Phila
delphia tomorrow have been invited to
attend the debate.
Walsh to Meet Pepper
Senator Walsh. Democrat. of Mon
tana, has virtually decided to accept
an Invitation to debate the league of
nations with Mr.. Pepper, at Indiana
polls ON the night of April 16 before the
Indiana Manufacturers Association.
Senator Walsh was endeavoring today
to arrange his engagement so that he
could go to indianapolis.
Mr.. Pepper is the managing director
Of the League for the Preservation of
American Independence, an organi-
zation formed to oppose the Presi-
dents plan for the league of nations,
Of which Henry Watterson is presi-
dent
(, Senator Walsh is known as one of
: the foremost constitutional authori-
ties in the country. He has made only
few speeches on the league of ma
tions and while he favors some slight
amendments to the Presidents league
plan he has announced that he would
vote for 1t whether amended or not.
Mr.. Pepper. in n letter to Senator
Hitchcock, demanded that Senator
Hitchcock agree to confne the debate
to the constitution which President
Wilson submitted to the Paris Peace
Conference and which has been pub
lished. = e..
Mr.. Pepper said he made his request
because of published statements that
Sf9cudtoT fiitcHCoth nus ftctlNeu COHn
I Dental information regarding amend
inents reported to have been made to
= the league constitution since the Presi
dent returned to Paris. He demanded
OF Senator Hitchcock that they set a
definite question to debate =. in order
that the event may not be mere
speech making affair. The letter,
among other REQUESTS says: '''i
Hitchcock First Speaker
II suggest you support the consti-
tuition of the league as reported by
the President, that L.. in my turn,
specify the amendmcnts which seem
to me to be essential in order that the
3 league, when formed, may tend to
promote peace; and that you, in, clos
4 ing, give your reasons for rega ading
z the specified amendments as unneces-
sary or Objectionable.
Mr.. Pepper is president of the League
for the Preservation of American Inde-
ypendence. which is opposed to the league
Of nations plan and its ratification as
now proposed. f.. g..
Senator Hitchcock will open the de
y bate and will speak for the first forty
FIVE minutes. Mr.. Pepper will reply in
m argument limited to sixty minutes.
The senator will then have the privilege
Of fifteen minutes for rebuttal. This will
+ end the debate. No judgment will be
given, the decision being left to pub
lie opinion.