The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-08
THE sENATE's BACK DOWN.

Hostility to the League of Nations
appears to be subsiding in the United
state senate. Those members who
hitherto have been loud in their
denunciation of the league, have heard
from the country and now are indus
triously seeking a place to alighes> This
change of front is attributed largely to
the press of this country by the
Christian Science Monitor, which says:
Apparently the unexampled mani
festations OF the United States senate,
purporting to show hostility to the
text Of the peace treaty as embody-
ing the league of nations plan, and
crystallized in the Knox resolution,
have run their course. There is hard
ly a likelihood that anything more
will be heard of them, unless in the
way of sorrowful "Reminiscences. or
that any attempt will be made to
bring Senator Knox's dangerous offer
ing to a vote.
Leaders Of the senate can take no
credit to themselves for persisting un-
til now in a course that could hardly
have other effect than to menace the
results of the peace conference activi-
ties or to place the United States in
position of disfavor and disadvan-
tage amongst the other nations of the
world. Yet this senatorial display in
Washington has. in one sense and by
the law of contrasts. been both reas-
surfing and satisfying. II has brought
out the essential sanity of the Ameri-
can press on an issue that is vital %
American interests.
Newspapers OF the United States
have, as a rule, seen clearly just what
the senate was up to during this
whole affair, and have not hesitated
% - III nwa nr
another. they have attributed the ma
jor part Of the uprising to partisan
ship. to bitter feeling against the
president, and to willingness to
make party capital out of his work
abroad, perhaps to discount any credit
that he. as the leader of the Demo-
cratic party might come in for on
account of the league of nations They
have noted and pointed out to their
readers that the furore over the
leak" of the treaty text was
''mare's-nest" and that the senators
who made the most of it at the start
were readiest to hush the talk about
It when real investigation was pro-
posed They have observed and eX
planned the gre .uitous nature of the
senate plea for more time for con-
sideration of treaty provisions, in view
of the fact that the real Treaty has
never been before the senate and
could not be given to 1t for COnSidera-
ton until after the work of negotia-
ton. then still under way in Paris,
should have been completed. They
have marked and announced the
gradual retreat of the senate leaders
before the silent but powerful pres
sure of a sentiment, within as we'll
as without the Republican party. that
would not risk the position of the
United States before the world for any
partisan advantage derivable from the
senate opposition to President Wilson.
Some newspapers, to be sure. have
followed the senate leaders in this
episode, as they would follow them in
anything: but these papers have been
clearly in the minority with respect to
both numbers and national influence.
The papers that have opposed the
course of the senate. however. have
included many of the leading and
most influential in the country, and
among them must be included GER
tain journals Of well-defined Repub-
lican predictions. These papers have
understood that the bitterness of GER
tain Of the "old guard" of the senate
was leading them inevitably into a
position Of extreme political embar-
rassment. and. as a means for extri-
eating the senators from an unpleas-
ant predicament. the editors have de-
clared that the letter of Elihu Root
would be, as apparently it now has
been, seized upon by the rampant
wearers of the toga with feelings
closely akin to relief.