The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-05-24
THE TREATY Is AMENDABL E


in applying its rightful powers OF
criticism. consideration and, IL IL
deems ii necessary, serious
action, then il must be "un-
scrambled" We cannot allow
any collection of poientates 10
rivet together a document to be
crammed down our throats. We
have our set and constitutional
methods Of dealing with foreign
treaties; and il they do not hap
pen 10 suit the desires or circum-
stances of foreign treaty-makers,
then they must muzzle their de-
sires and change their -circum-
stances" 1t is intolerable that ii
should be suggested that we
must adapt our venerable consti-
tuition TO the ephemeral convent
ences OF the moment, be they for
the comfort of the foreign diplo-
mat or the domestic public man.
OF what value would be the best
constitutional safeguards IL they
were TO be cancelled or removed
when the very occasion arrived
for which they were framed?
The Ledger sees that an effort has
been made 10 limit the senate 10
Yes" or a "No"-that is the adroit-
ness of it in Versailles, but though
the step may be SO serious as to
hold up the peace Of the world itself,
the senate should not hesitate to
take ii IF it contained clauses that
deprive America OF it's vital liber-
ties, exposed her to the gravest
perils or invaded her sacred
sovereignty" The Ledger then con-
tinues:
To deny TO the senate the
right OF amendment is TO declare
that the treaty-making power
shall be reposed entirely and ex-
cIusiyely in the president. unless
he proposes treaty which con-
tains so outrageous an invasion
of American rights that the SEN
ate viii take the terrific respon
sibility of rejecting the whole in
strument rather than permit that
invasion to occur. II the Ameri-
can people want the president 10
have that great power. they
should amend the constitution.
The Philadelphia paper says that
the treaty, il is limited, is so worded
that if we do not ratify 1t just as it
Is and that right away, that ii VIII
place us at a disadvantage in The
revival of German trade. But if lhat
is the trickery in this treaty making,
then the congress can end it quickly
by declaring ourselves at peace with
Germany forthwith We would rather
stand without our allies but -
now read carefully what follows chat
but
But If our allies, with the con-
sent of our president-we can
not believe with his conscious
COMMUNICATIVE inserted
clause in the treaty which per-
mits them to be at profitable
peace with Germany before our
long-established and perfectly
welLknown constitutional method
of studying, approving and
finally accepting treaties has had
time to operate, obviously it will
be no breach of honor on our
part to declare promptly the war
on Germany at an end, and then
proceed to study the treaty at
our leisure.
We have set out this editorial at
length, but we believe
t is worth it. The. Public Ledger
has been the most conservative of
papers, and the least partisan. 1t
las upheld much that President Will
son has done and that makes this
1ewIy sounded alarm all the more
significant:
And now is the time to be alarmed.
We are being asked, or rather We are
,eing almost forced into doing
hing that is unprecedented, thing
hat may change the very nature of
,ur own government as well as its
position in the world.
We should not do this upon the
Jay so of Colonel House, whom we
10 not know officially in America,
Tor even upon the say SO of Wood
.ow Wilson, who may be simply OBJ !
essed with his own power in the
have we not reposed In /
i'm power that is dangerous to any |
nan to exercise? Can any man exer- J.
Use such power as he has been doing /
nd not lose his head so that he is |
lot longer able to judge from the |
-iewpoint of his country, unless his |
will speak up and speak out |
and that is what we want the con-
,ress that is now in session to do. !