Omaha daily bee., 1919-07-24
TAFT SUGGESTS
TO SENATE new
COVENANT plan
Former President Hopes to
Unite All Elements and
Reach Common
Understanding.
CONTINUED from Page One.)

Continued from Page One.)
mitted by Mr.. Wilson. The partisan
character of his administration dur
ing the war, together with his ap-
peal to his countrymen to elect a
democratic congress in November,
1918, created a condition of personal
and political antagonism toward
him among republican leaders which
was shared by a majority of the
American people. This was shown
in the results of the election. Not
withstanding this, Mr.. Wilson per-
sisted in continuing the same parti-
san exclusion of republicans in
dealing with the highly important
matter of settling the results of the
war. He selected a commission in
which the republicans had no rep
resentation and in which there were
no prominent Americans of any
real experience and leadership of
public opinion. With such a COM
mission his unusual course in going
abroad himself, as president greatly
emphasized the personal element in
the framing of the treaty and inten-
sified the general tendency to OPP
pose anything that he might bring
home, because of his apparent wish
to dictate the policy of the world
and to monopolize the credit for it.
Defects Due to Wilson.
81 feel that some of the defects
of the league of nations are due to
him. l am confident that he pre-
vented the adoption of the plan OF
the league to enforce peace in re-
spect to an international court and
the settlement of justiciable ques-
tons.
This was, as l am advised in the
English plan, but was studiously
omitted from the very satisfactory
American plan. His prejudice
against courts is we'll known.
Article X, | think, is due to him
primarily, because it is merely the
embodiment of the last of his IA
points. While it came from his
suggestion however, it suited the
demands of the French so far as it
went and l believe it to be now
the heart of the league in tending
to unite the forces of the world in
police duty to suppress wars OF
conquest.
"The power of amendment, con-
tanned within the terms of the
league, offers full opportunity to
remedy the defects of the league
with reference to the international
court and in other respects. The
great point which supporters of the
league of nations should now seek
is the establishment of basis upon
which through amendments the
league can be perfected. 1t is abso-
lutely necessary to retain article III,
in order to stabilize the world. The
fluid condition of the region of the
war threatens the stability of the
world, and it needs the united forces
of the world to restore normal
condition of self-mainterance. In
my judgment, therefore, it would be
most unfortunate if the cautlonary
influence of article 10 may not be
retained in the crucial decade
through which the world is to pass.
Hostility Causes Criticism.
"The attitude of hostility toward
the president has aroused criticism
and opposition which might have
been avoided had he taken with him
such man as Mr.. Root and two
representatives of the foreign rela-
lions committee in the senate. The
criticisms thus aroused have stirred
the conscience of a number of re-
publican senators and have endan-
gered the ratification of the league
by two-thirds of the senate.
"Mr. Wilson's influence with his
democratic supporters in the senate
will secure perhaps As votes. Nine
teen republican votes are needed
and the question is how can they be
secured. l don't think they can be
secured except by relieving their
consciences through reassuring in
terpretations of the league, of such
a character that they are likely to
be accepted without further negotia-
ton and conference and delay by the
other nations who dictated the
peace. After consideration of the
made on the subject, ]
have formulated these interpreted
tons and reservations with the hope
that they will suggest a basis of