New-York tribune., 1919-09-15
Peace League
Urges Senate
To Ratiify Pact
Immediate Acceptance of
Covenant Without Change
Asked by Promin e N t
Signers of the Appeal

The League to Enforce Peace yester-
day made public an appeal to the
Senate to ratify the treaty OF peace
without amendment and without de-
lay to prevent a reopening of peace
negotiations and to relieve the world Of
the imminent peril of new war"
The appeal is signed by $50 leading
men and women of various political
affiliations.
Among the signers are former Presi-
dent Taft, Governor Smith, a. Law
renee Lowell, president of Harvard; p;
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor; George
W. Wickersham, former Attorney Cen
eral of the United States; Charles c.
Moore, who was head of the Panama
Pacific international Exposition of San
Francisco; Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait,
president OF the National Woman Suf-
frage Association; President Heber J.
Graut, Of the Mormon Church, John
Spargo, leader Of the Socialist wing
which supported the war; Judge
George Gray, OF Wilmington, Del. ;
Harry a. Wheeler, OF Chicago, retir-
ing president of the Chamber of Com
merce of the United States; Lyman
Abbott, William Fcllowes Morgan,
president of the Merchants Associa-
ton; Oscar S. Straus, and Cyrus II.
K. Curtis. Philadelphia publisher.
The statement in part, follows:
"ln the Senate at Washington, now
that the Committee on Foreign Rela-
tions las reported the treaty, the lines
are sharply drawn between the i'm
mediate ratification of the treaty of
peace with Germany, and its amend
ment, with reassembling of the con-
ference and reopening of negotia-
tions that would bring great delay and
prolonged uncertainty in settling the
great issues of the peace. No partisan
plea can be made Party lines are
already broken.
standing at distance from the
conflict in the Senate chamber, we
plead for immediate ratification with
out delay. Our LAM requires it, A
state Of nervous strain, tension and
unrest exists, manifesting itself in
disturbances, which in some cases
have no self-evident connection with
the war, but which are in fact its
aftermath. The world is put in i'm
minent peril of new wars by the lapse
of each day Discussions between us
and our former allies are being sown.
We firmly believe and solemnly de
clare that the states and cities in
which we dwell desire immediate peace.
eve beseech the Senate to give the
land peace and certainty by ratitica-
tion which will not keep us longer in
the shadows OF possible wars, but give
the whole world the light Of peace
Reservations in the nature of clari-
fcations in the meaning of the treaty,
not inconsistent with its terms, will
not require the reopcning of the
negotiations with Germany and with
our associates in the war, which we
all and each united to win.
"Rut there is no possibility Of doubt
that amendment of the treaty, AS is
new proposed by the Senate Committee
on Foreign Relations, would require
negotiation and rcopening of ali the
questions decided at Paris. Months of
delay would follow. The pcrils of the
present would become the deadly dan
gers Of the near future All the doubt
engendered would aid the plots for vio-
lent revolution in this and other lands
The issues here and elsewhere between
capital and labor, the conspiracy of
speculator and protiteer, would all grow
and become more perilous.
and become more perilous."