The sun., 1919-06-29
Johnson's Reference to Will
son Brings Kisses and Cry,
"He's q TraitOr.r
RACIAL PERIL is SHOWN
Reed Warns Against Entering
"Spider's Web" at Carne-
gle Hall Meeting.

A0O0 persons, packing NdTneBie haii
from pit to ceiling. cheered every
point made against the League Of
Nations last night. They boohed
England, cheered Ireland and Russia.
and reached a climax in wild yells Of
approval, applause and Kisses when,
as Senator Hiram Johnson of Califor-
MIA started to refer to the secrecy
which President Wilson had main
tanned about the terms Of the treaty
and the League. a voice in the audi
ence cried:
Hes a traitor"
Senator Johnson tried to go on with
his reference. But for nearly a min
ute he was unable to speak while the
audience vented feelings. which the
California Senator had stirred as feel
ings seldom have been stirred in Car
negie Hall before. Senator johnson
furnished the comparison upon which
the meeting best may be measured
when he called to mind that his own
last appearance on this platform was
seven years ago with Theodore Roose-
Welt .
The size and enthusiasm Of the
audience surprised even the promoters of
the meeting, the league for the Preser-
vatiopsof American Independence, headed
BY Georfe Wharton Pepper of Philadel-
phia., who. presided last night.
Orchestra seats and boxes were filled
with; earnest men and women. many of
them In evening dress. They cheered the
arguments of Senator johnson and Sem
ator James A. Reed Of Missouri. which
appealed to them as sound. And in the
back of the hall. in the balcony and gal
lery, even In the street outside, there
gathered wildly expressive mob whence
came the first Kisses. whence came the
boohs for England and whence from
time TO time throughout the evening
voice would cry, How about Ireland"
Meet Under L. s. Flag Only.
The first allusion TO England brought
Kisses and boohs. Senator johnson had
charged that the League of Nations was
drawn to induce the United States, the
"only. solvent. going concern nationally
to protect the fruits OF the treaty with
which England, France, Italy and
Japan had gorged themselves. He en-
deavored to still the tumult by explain
ing that he spoke not out Of enmity for
any nation but only as an American in
the crisis was in duty bound to speak,
"to speak out on those things which
concern our sons and our sons sons.
But he only succeeded in increasing the
applause and not in lessening the
Kisses.
They even Kissed "conscription' when
Senator Reed reminded them that II had
not been wiped out In either England or
France by the Peace Treaty and the
League of Nations. But the official ste
nographer perhaps best expressed the
prevalent note of the meeting when he
quoted Henry A. Wise Wood, who intro
duced the chairman as follows:
You are met beneath no flag but the
American flag"
Despite the overwhelming enthusiasm
Of the meeting 1t was perhaps more re-
markable for one other feature. This
was the simple clarity with which Sem
ator Reed phrased the whole difficulty
over the League of Nations. In effect
his argument was this:
III you have a league that Is worth
anything 1t must be league with au-
thority. And TO a league with authority
the United States must give up her
sovereignty.
IF. as some of the proponents claim.
this league can only advise. then you
have no authority and the league Is a
rope Of sand-worth nothing"
There was a burst of applause when
Senator Reed declared:
II am not believer In government
BY sanctification."
There could be little doubt as to how
the audience stood with the Senator.
II was equally as responsive to the argu-
ment Of Senator Hiram johnson or Cali
fornia and to the appeal OF George
Wharton Pepper for the support or the
further campaign against the League or
Nations being waged by the League for
the Preservation Of American 1ndepen-
dence,
Nor will the campaign or the 1nde-
pendence League be limited TO the
physical capacities of these and Its other
speakers. Last night in one OF the side
rooms of Carnegie Hall monograph
records were made of the salient parts
of each of the nights speeches. These
will be duplicated by the thousand and
scattered throughout the country In
order that no one may be ignorant OF
both sides OF the issue.
Nations" said Senator Reed, can
not be transformed into saints by the
mere act of signing a paper.
What the teachings of Christ have
not in two thousand years produced will
not be accomplished by a league OF ma
tons.
'T am not believer in the new
magic. The only magic Il Is safe to
employ in International dealings is the
magic of common sense. which con-
slders only the facts of life and re-
fuses TO be misled by either the dreams
Of ambition or the visions OF hope.
1T is as foolish to declare that the
nations OF the world can suddenly be
made perfectly good as it is to assert
that they are now altogether bad.
The plain truth Is that nations usually
regard that as right which is In their
own interest. The situation Is further
complicated by differences of language,
religion. environment and those preju-
oices and anlmosities many of which
have their roots In soil thousands OF
years old.
The statesman who undertakes to
zeal with world problems and leaves out
or consideration these great Fundamental.
facts Is likely to make shipwreck of his
own hopes and bring disaster TO his coun-
try.
You cannot add together the bar
barism OF Turkey. the brutality of Bull
garia, the ignorance OF Liberia, the
cruelty Of Germany, the race prejudices
OF Europe and Asia. the ambition of
monarchs and the insanity Of anarchists
and Bolshevists and produce sum total
Of brotherly love"
Refused the Partnership.
Launching into an attack on the
league. Senator Reed said:
refuse to enter into copartnership
with thirty-two nations not one of which
IN government. In civilization, in liberty,
IS the equal OF the United States | re-
h1f of ha