The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-13
The Minority Report Wonderful
Effort OF Senator Hitchcock.

The Minority Report Wonderful
Effort OF Senator Hitchcock.
We say advisedly that the minority
report from the Committee on For
cign Relations, supposed to have been
drawn according to President VIII
SONS wishes by Senator GILBERT NJ.
HITCHCOCK, scarcely deserves the at
tention of candid intelligence.
Such an argument as this, for .ex-
ample, with regard to the four reser-
vations reported to the Senate by the
majority of the committee:
while masquerading in the guise
OF reservations they are in fact al
terations of the treaty. They have
all the vices of amendments and the
additional vice Of pretending to be
what they are not. Presented as
parts of the resolution to ratify the
treaty they would. in fact. If adopted
result in its defeat. All OF them ap-
ply to the League of Nations section
of the treaty. Those who oppose the
League of Nations realize that it is
invincible on a square fight, and they
hope to destroy It by indirection-
The League of Nations has stood the
test of worldwide criticism and I'M
limited attacks. 1t stands to-day as
the only hope for world peace. After
all the assaults of many months its
purposes and provisions stand out
clearly defined, unaffected by criti-
cism. and unyieldlng to attack"
This and much more of the same sort
from the Hitchcockian fount would
seem pitiable, would seem even con-
temptible, were it not so damn re-
dickelous'-if we may employ form
of expression not infrequently heard
in the saner sections of Nebraska
when the outgivlngs and performances
of her senior Senator are under un-
sympathetic consideration.
Adopted as parts Of the resolution
to ratify, the submitted reservations
would no more necessarily result in
the defeat of the treaty than the
equally comprehensive and patriot
cally far sighted reservations in the
resolution ratifying the conventions
of The Hague resulted in the defeat
OF that set of treaties; or than the
similarly American reservations at
tached to the Algeciras convention re
suited In the defeat of that treaty
The proposition is absurd.
And what sort of a human mind Is
1t that the Hon. GILBERT NJ. HITCH
COCK, speaking for President WILSON
and his one man document, expects
to be Influenced by the preposterous
asseveration that the covenant "haS
stood the test Of worldwide critl
cism and unlimited attacks; that II
Is ''the only hope for world peace"
that its provisions stand out clearly
defined, unaffected by criticism ant
unyielding to attack?
Rubbish from the senior Senator
from Nebraska! If he does not know
better he is an object for commisera
tion. Europe is frankly Indifferent Il
the one-man document. European
statesmen, working for their nationa
interests, at first tolerated the ides
of the League, regarding 1t as harm
less contrivance on which the United
States had set its heart, and beinl
for a time deceived by Mr.. Wilson's
inaccurate statement that he came t
the conference with a mandate from
his Government and specific instruc
lions from the people he represented
After the one-man document was en-
acted, at the cost of nearly every on,
of Mr.. WILSON'S immutable Fourteen
Points, the statesmen and peoples O
Europe ceased to take much interes
In the subject, The League becam,
the object of derisiOn in the British
House of Commons, of polite con
tempt in French governmental quar-
ters, of bitter hatred in those nation
whose national aspirations had beef
defrauded by the secret bargaining
which accomplished the covenant, ant
Of general unconcern elsewhere.
Where and whence is the world
VIDE criticism which the covenan
has triumphantly wlthstood accord
ing to Senator HITcHcocK's minorlt,
report? The assaults of man,
months" have been confined mostly t,
the efforts of Americans to procur
that very thing which Mr.. HITcHcocI
declares has been brought about b,
the covenants own Inherent invlnci
bility, namely, a clear. definition o
Its purpose and provisions. Nobod,