The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-10-17

I
tries, while some proponents of the
league believe it to be misdemeanor
TO cal attention to the woes Of this
country.
Senator Johnson indicated that
those woes are sufficient to occupy the
United States before 1t mixed with for
eign entanglements, and that 1t IL the
duty of the United States to clean it,
self first and its neighbors next.
Shantuna Protest.
Senator Johnson said that when in
Paris Or. Hornbeck and Professor
Williams of the University of Califor-
mia went to the president protesting
against the Shantung decision, the
president said this of the treaty that
he asserts now is shot through and
through and permeated with Ameri-
can principles and that 1t represents
American ideals and Amrican altru-
ism these are the presidents words
! am talking to you tonight, my friends,
In this last meeting upon this timer
airy of the facts; 1 am down on solid
ground, with solid common folks who
are American, talking the facts The
difficulty with Mr. Wilson is TINT he
is riding the clouds and painting the
rainbow, and he never gets down on
solid ground. prolonged applause
and cheers.) When in Paris, the re-
monstrance was made by all of those
who represented America against the
Shantung decision, this is what the
president said of his precious altru-
istic and idealistic treaty: 1.-THE war,
he said seemed to have been fought
to establish the sanctity of treaties,
and that, while some treaties were UNI
considerable, at the same time it
looked as though they would have to
be observed"
II cannot understand, unless he
speaks ironically to the American PEG,
pie today, how it is that he says that
a treaty that is written around uncon-
scionable bargains represents Alneri-
can principles and American idealism."
Scores Secret Treaties.
Secret treaties made by our co-bel-
ligerents before the United States en-
tered the war and of which Senator
johnson said the president was ignor-
ant until he reached Paris, formed the
basis upon which the peace treaty and
the league are founded, he asserted
He spoke, too, in ironic tones of the
part played in the conference by the
premiers of Great Britain and France,
and intimated that they had deceived
the president and the senate in their
Understanding speeches which they
had made before the senate.
In this latter regard he said:
"At the very time they (Lloyd
George, Viyiani, Udine and Ishii) were
talking thus to us their pockets were
bullying with treaties dividing the
earth among them" Senator johnson
spoke of himself as an idealist, yield
ing to none in this quality, but defined
his own idealism as contrasted with
that of the president as an idealism
that gets things done, and quoted from
what he accomplished in his own state
nine years ago for an example.
Scores Unity of Pact
Senator Johnson found fault with
the league because it is so entwined
that it seems impossible to extricate
one from the other for separate con-
sideration.
He accused the president of poor
judgment and poor craftsmanship in
bringing back the two in such way
oe, ~ r,nlyn ~ i,n,,nsse;hla ~ ra;not thn
one without rejecting the other, and
claimed that the president had boast-
ed of this condition before he left
Paris.
Citing the recent testimony concern
ing the league covenant given before
fairs, he called attention particularly
to the Bullitt testimony concerning
Lansings opposition to much of the
treaty and to objections raised by Gen,
eral Bliss and other members of the
commission.
He concluded by stating that the
United States outside the league would
be greater bulwark for the peace of
the world than If it were submerged
in the foreign control of the league"
He referred to the United States as
the greatest asset for peace in the
world, and said: "'These nations into
whose power we are about to give our.
selves owe us ten billions of dollars"
and asked why the United States
should put itself into the hands of its
debtors.
Speaking at Ogden in the afternoon
prior to his address at Salt Lake Sem
ator johnson declared that THE
league of nations is not political is
sue, either Republican or Democratic,
but an American issue, the issue of
the republic which Washington gave
us"
In his summary, Senator Johnson re-
iterated that the Monroe doctrine was