The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-07-05


| opponents of the League Of Nations
In that body almost to abandon hope
of It's defeat, but enough Of them still
demand the amendment of the cove
nant to prevent its ratification as 1t
stands. Senator Borah is unremitting
In his fight against both the covenant
and the treaty, attacking them on
every occasion. In talking against
the proposed American army of 400.
600 men he said the league covenant
offers no hope of disarmament, but in
stead makes certain an era of the
greatest ornaments the world has
ever seen. The senate passed this bill
which carries an army appropriation
of $SS8,000,000. The bill as passed by
the house provided for 100000 men
and appropriated S71S,O00,OO0. The
house majority In opposing the larger
temporary army is seeking to hasten
the entire reorganization of the army
and the adoption of a permanent mill
tary policy. The naval bill presented
to the senate also is larger than that
passed by the house, carrying an APP
preparation of $646,272,000 and in
creasing the personnel to 1911 900 men.
Plans for President Wilson's speech
making tour in support Of the treaty
and League of Nations covenant are
not yet completed, but 1t is said he
certainly will go as far as to the Pa:
cifie coast. His return to America will
not be much longer delayed, and as
soon as he has spoken In Washington
and New York he will start on hif
"Trip. The opposition senator's also are
arranging tours In which, 1t Is under
stood, they will both precede and fol-
low the president.
The agitation In this country in be-
half Of Free Ireland" Is increasing,
and the movement has reached such
! proportions that 1t cannot be ignored.
/, The propaganda Is carried on ener-
getically and openly and the govern
ment could not do anything to check
1t If 1t would. Eamonn De Valera,
president of the Irish Republic" who
has been in America for several weeks
visiting Washington and other cities,
has emerged from his privacy and Is
/. publicly working for the independence
of his country and arranging for a
bond issue of $5,0O0,000. He gave out
the text of letter his government"
sent to the peace conference warning
1t that Ireland would not be bound
English commissioners. His main pur-
pose in coming to the United States Is
to compel our government, by force
of public opinion, to recognize official
ly the Irish republic. In the senate
he has a number of supporters who
assert the principle Of self-determina-
ton should apply to such countries as
Ireland, India, Egypt and Korea as
well as to the countries of central
Europe. At least, they declare, these
people should have the chance to pre-
sent their claims to independence to
the peace conference. The American
peace delegation was taken to task
for not complying with the resolution
Of the senate requesting the president
to procure hearing for the Irish
representatives.
The great sympathy strike In Winni-
peg came to an end Thursday, being
called off by the strike committee. The
terms of settlement were left to a
government commission. On the
whole the strike was failure.
Chicago and New York both had
serious and embarrassing labor trou-
bles last week. In the former city the
street cleaners, garbage and ash ham
dlers and job foremen and the team
sters and chauffeurs working for the
city and on city jobs went on strike,
and many other city employees made
demands for more pay. In New York
a strike of teamsters almost deprived
the city of Its supply Of vegetables and
fruits.
An interesting innovation was the
organization of labor union of navy
officers. begun In the Atlantic feet,
for the purpose of obtaining increased
pay and other concessions from the
government. 1t is planned to affiliate
with the American Federation of La
Dor and to extend the union to include
the Pacific feet and the European and
Asiatic squadrons. A clause in the
navy regulations virtually forbids the
formation of such organizations, but
the facts that their pay has not been
increased since 1908 and that the
Communication of quarters to officers at
sea now is in danger Of being cut of
apparently have made the officers do