The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-25

From the Phliaueiphld uDAAS ~ ENATOR UNDERWOOD, who N reached the upper chamDer g with great reputation, has succeeded in the last few days Tn IT radiating the Washington noFiAon again with a considerable halo of hope It is true that he takes the utmost pains to deny shat he is in any way Heading a bolt from the Presidents leadership within the democratic party. But there may be several reao- ings of this disclaimer In the tirst place. the worthy senator probably IS possessed. like every graduate of the party system, with genuine passion for .'regularity." He dreads the stigma of '.bolter." This feeling is very nat ural one. born of close study or the tragic history of "bolting' from the birth of partyism. So the political re former" who thinks it more important tc accomplish reforms than personally and fruitlessly to bleed and die IS ai- most always "a borer from within.
 He tries to capture the party machin- cry
 Then again it will be noted that Senator Underwood, in denying lndig- nantly that he is leading revoit against Wilson, is very careful ana eA- act in stating just whatrhe construes
 "President Wilson's wishes to be. He
 says. q construe (them) to be that we
 get this treaty ratified" No one can Quarrel with that. Yet it contains
 considerable latitude. It may mean
 getting this treaty ratified with large
 reservations, because it is now pupnc knowledge that that is the only way
 in which it can possibly be ratified
 Of course in our profound belief in
 the absolute necessity of getting the Leatue of Nations established ana functioning~-or some similar pody With
 a name less scared and prejudice
 shattered by bitter controversy-we do not think that Senatcr Underwood or any intelligent supporter of that pro-
 o.ramme should go so far in his re
 volt, al to adopt naked peace wltn Germany without any. league to make
 if binding and effective. Better the
 league with reservations than no
 league at all. But. with 50 senators Ill
 favor of ratification with reservations
 surely it win be possible to accom-
 nl;sh a compromise within the four
 corners of that policy. only the Presi-
 dent could make such naked resolu-
 ton of peace necessary by stubpornly
 refusing to pass along any compromise that can pass the Senate.
 But the great thing is in any case that a senator so noted for daring ini- tiative and independent thinking as the senator from Alabama has lis- tened to the rising voice Of the coun- trv demanding immediate ratification, and has threatened to break up the |leisurely little game of chess which his colleagues are playing if they do not get out of the road of the American trader who wants a chance at the new markets just opening. of the American worker who wants the higher wages new markets will bring and of the American citizen who has no notion of seeling his sons shot in European war and then meekly standing aside while European diplomats decide what :, they died for.
 Tt is time that somebody "revolted
 in Washington against the iron rule of
 party pundits, who seem unable to feel anything-though so,ooo.ooo persons are starving in mid -Europe-but their own personal punctilios as to the proper order of precedence in ap- preaching the compromise which no l one doubts must come and who can- not see further afield than the prelim- mary maneuvers for the next elections. | It is . crying scandal which would arouse the ridicule of the world, if it's | terrible consequences had left the world anything save it's tears. that. when the vast majority of the Amer ican nation notoriously desire peace, when the overwhelming majority of
 the Senate itself has voted for ratifica- tion on one set of terms or another, peace should still be delayed by slen- der difference of phrasing between the
 "reservations"-not even amendments