Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-19
QUESTION PRESIDENT ABOUT TREATY AT CONFERENCE

should Immediately contribute an armed
force to stop that war or to bring tho
attacking nations to terms would We
be pcrfidious people II | may usc
that term, would we violate our obliga
! tion, II We failed to participate in th"
defense Of Italy?'
THE PRESIDENT-"Wr would be
our own judges as to whether We were
Obliged in those circumstances to act in
that way or not
j SENATOR HITCHCOCK-"In such
n case the council would only act unnni
mousy and our representative on tho
council. of course. would have to con
cur in any advice given
Up to Congress
The senators got into n diScussior
over whether Congress would decide
what course the United States would
take. Senator Hitchcock suggesting that
after the American representatives on
the council had concurred in the coun-
ellis recommendation "it would then he
ur to Congress to decide.
THE PRESIDENT You arc quite
i right. The men who wore discussing
these very important matters were all
the time aware that II would depend
upon the approving or disappearing state
of opinion Of their countries how their
representatives in the council would vote
in matters Of this sort
1T is inconCcivable to me that. unless
the opinion Of the United Stntcs. the
moral and practical judgments Of the
people Of tho United States approved,
the representatives Of tho United States
on tho council should vote any such
advice as would lead lis into war.
Replying to Senator Borah. tho Presi
dent said the defensive treaty with
France rested on the same basis as
Articles Y and NI--moral obligations.
r Councils Decision Not Final
: Senator Pittman suggested that even
p ! if the council unanimously advised. il
| was still ''up to Congress either to &C
A rcpt or reject that advice"
To this the President gave his as
sent.
9 Senator Johnson. revertiug to the ex
: ample of aggression on Italy, asked
:, whether that compelling moral obliga
tion would require us to use such means
as would seem appropriate, either eco
:, nomic or moral?" lis that not cor
: rcct?" he asked.
d THE PRESIDENT-"Dec ap-
q propriate by whom? That is really the
o point.
Il SENATOR JOHNSON -- Deemed
appropriate for the purpose of defeating
" or frustrating the aggression.
o THE PRESIDENT-"Do Deemed by us
appropriate.
IS Senator Borah asked if Great Britain
II and France insisted upon maintaining
:, at the Peace Conference the secret
treaties with Japan regarding Shan
tung.
Bound BY Secret Treaties
4 THE PRESIDENT-"I will put il
in this way: They felt that they were
n bound by them. But when they in
volved general interests. such as they
, realized werc involved. they were quite
willing. and indeed. I think. desirous.
- that they should be reconsidpred with
the consent, SO far as they were con
4 c"rned, Of the other parties'
The conference was not held in tn
- Blue room. as had been planned, tn,
President taking his visitors into tn,
q East room where they were seated
: around big table. Senator Lodge sa
:. next to the President
= The conference was adjourned in the
carly afternoon for luncheon at the
- White House and it was not resumed
the members of the committee departing
q at > 40 p. m.
The conference offered the first on
q portunity for the President to confront
some of the most determined opponents
n of the treaty in its present form. and
n some of the bitterest critics of his
10 course in the peace negotiations. There
arc seventeen members of the commit
tee. as follows:
,. Senators Lodge. Massachusetts
[ chairman; McCumber. North Dakota
,. Brandcgce. Connecticut; Borah, Idaho
n Fall, New Mexico; Knox. Pennsylva
mia Harding, Ohio; johnson. Cali
fornia New, Indiana; and Moses. New
Hampshire. Republicans; and Hitch
cock, Nebraska; Williams, Mississippi
Swanson, Virginia Pomercne, Ohio
II Smith, Arizona; Pittman. Nevada, anG
Shields. Tennessee. Democrats.