The Penn's Grove record., 1919-07-25
Let Irs Have a Little Cancellation

Let Us Have a Little Cancellation
If, in inviting opponents OF the
League of Nations, among them prom
innet Republican Senators, to meet
him at the White House and discuss
treaty matters, the President IS eX-
tending the olive branch, it becomes
the positive duty of those invited 10
accept.
Every intelligent person in the
United States knows that most OF the
trouble has been the result of antag-
onisms deliberately created by Mr..
Wilson. He refused to consult mem
bers of the Foreign Relations Com
mittee when the treaty was IN process
of formulation and his attitude was
that of an autocrat. He believed he
could do as he pleased and force the
| Senate to bend it's knee in submission.
This attitude angered some OF the
Republican leaders of the Senate until
growing indignation reached such a
stage that they determined long ago
to assert their power and their dig
nifty, and the only way open to them
was to oppose certain sections of the
treaty. Two positive forces clashed-
that of the overbearing PRECEDENT and
that of the resentful Senate.
But here is a grave problem which
comprises nothing less than the peace
of the world. This is no question of
an ordinary treaty between the United
States and a single foreign country.
1t is a universal question and n into
which the United States must enter.
Personal hatreds have no valid place
in its determination. P~artisanship has
nothing whatever to do with it. The
man who seeks to draw party lines is
a dangerous man and inevitably con-
fesses the narrowness of his mind
confesses that he is first of all a par
tisan when called upon to discuss the
greatest problem that the statesman
ship of the world has ever encount-
cred.
1t is time, therefore, for concilia-
ton to play its part. If the President
has stepped down from his arrogant
pinnacle and now seeks to explain his
actions and the reason for this and
that article, he has taken the first and
most important step and it ought not
to be difficult for his opponents to
take the second step. The way is
open for the dignity of the Senators
to be restored.
The Senate cannot afford to reject
the treaty outright or mangle it to
such an extent as to amount to reJec-
ton. The United States dare not
stand aloof from the demands of hui
mainly. There must be an agreement
of some sort. There must be an I'M
derstanding between Senate and White
House. But to bring this about, there
be cooperation. Cooperation
can come only by compromise. To
what extent is the President willing to
go in the way of compromise?
That is for him to determine, but he
must recognize the fact that very
much fiery oratory has been INDUCED
in and that some concessions of a
soothing nature must be made. These
concessions may conceivably be found
the reservations" that many of the
Senators are talking about.
If these reservations" could be
made in the shape of interpretations,
not as a part of the treaty, but sup
Elementary to it, could not the Presi-
dent yield to that extent? We have
been told that the Monroe Doctrine is
endangered, that sovereignty is as
sailed, that we give up control over
domestic affairs. There is
nothing in the wording of the League
covenant to warrant these deductions,
according to our analysis and way of
thinking. Indeed, the Monroe Doc
5rine is directly safeguarded. Since
t is the understanding of the Council
Of Four that none of the complaints
has any substantial foundation, what
harm could be done should the Senate,
oy resolution, make a statement of its
understanding of the meaning of the
provisions over which some of its
members have grown so excited?
If the President and all the Sena-
tors who wish to be fair could sit
down and discuss these matters calmly
and from a common viewpoint,
a way should be found to end a situa-
ton which is becoming extremely ugly
and which, if continued, might easily
lead to disastrous upheavels.-ln-
quirer, July IS, 1919.