The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-06-20
Thomas Deplores Effort
to Make League Of Ma
tons Party Question.
CHALLENGES Up.
Williams Says Internal
Gang" Seeks to Defeat
LeagueW rangle En-
sues.

Warrington, June 1s.-The attemp.
Of Chairman Cummings. OF the Demo-
cratic national committee. to make
the league of nations a party question
was deplored by Senator Thomas, of
Colorado. Democrat, in a speech de-
livered in the senate today.
Senator Thomas declared that the
question was too important to be de-
cided on party lines. He commended
Republican Chairman Hays for refus-
ing to make the issue one OF partisan
ship.
IT It has assumed or is assuming a
then l contend that the Republican
opponents OF the treaty in the senate
must share the blame and the burden.
One distinguished opponent OF the
treaty fBorah) has. from the begin
ming. insisted that IL was the duty OF
his party to make this a question of
party politics and that Republican
party should array itself against the
league OF nations. But the chairman
Of the national committee OF the Re-
publicans insists. and I think most
wisely, that an International problem
affecting not only our own but the
peoples of the world. should be di-
vorccd as far as possible from all par
tisan consideration and determined
upon its merits as a mighty national
and International issue"
Senator Thomas spoke OF the Re-
publican, round robin as a political
move and charged that the Republican
organizers Of the senate had stacked
the foreign relations committee against
the president with a majority opposed
to the league. He challenged any Re-
publican to deny this statement.
ANGRY WRANGLE FOLLOWS.
Senator Moses. OF New Hampshire,
took up the challenge and there fol-
lowed An angry wrangle IN which half
= dozen senators participated.
II have no hesitation In denying It,"
senator Moses said. being q member
OF the foreign relations committee. 1t
was stacked against the president only
In the sense that he Ii a Democrat and
am q Republican"
. TT was not only stacked a. a deck
of cards might have been against the
president, because he was president
and because he was Dem ocrat, as the
senator confesses, but II was stacked
against him because he was the leader
of the movement In favor Of cove
nant OF peace for the world" interject-
ed Senator williams. OF Mississippi
do you think The Republicans
ought to have organized the senate
with Democratic majorities on the
committees inquired Senator Moses.
Il never said that" replied Williams,
7 am partisan"
And 30 am l." retorted Moses.
senator williams replied that there
was but one Republican On the COM
mittee tMcCumber. of North Dakota).
and that the only reason he was left
there was because the Republicans
were afraid to remove him. To this
Senator Moses Indignantly replied that
on every vote taken on the league in
the committee he had observed that
the Democrats Tined up solidly on one
side"
PARTIsANsHTP MANIFEST.
"Parttsanship u manifested in
everything tho Republicans do" con-
tinued Williams. '"rhe Knox resolu-
ton is not intended to gain time, but
to defeat the league. Any one who
says you are simply pleading for time
to think-when IL you had any capacity
to think at all you would have thought
long ago--is simply untruthfui and in
sincere and dishonest. You are try
ing to defeat the league. OF nations