Graham guardian., 1919-09-26

UIeeullS WOTlu OuSnI W De uc-
MED because of antagonism to-
ward the President, nor why a
country whose history has been
devoted to the peaceful settle
ment of international disputes is
suddenly to have it's policy re-
versed and become in effect an
opponent of the only means that
has been attempted to assure
world peace
Senator McCumber is not the
only republican who cannot faith
ON this mystery. 1t is certainly
not comprehensive to republi-
cans like Mr.. Taft, Mr.. Wicker
sham, DR.. Abbott, Oscar Strauss,
Mr.. Schiff, Mr.. Dawson, DR..
Lowell, who have signed a writ
ten appeal for the immediate
ratification of the treaty of peace
without delay or amendment.
so far as the Senate is con-
cerned, the attack against the
treaty and the covenant is in the
main an attack against the Presi-
dent. All arguments finally re-
duce themselves to a statement of
three paramount grievances, all
of which are political and none of
which relate to the treaty or any
of its provisions.
"The first is that President
Wilson issued a partisan appeal
last October for the election of a
democratic Congress. The Sec
ond is that no republicans Of par
ty standing and influence were
appointed to the Peace Commits
sion. The third is that he did
not take the Senate into his con-
fidence during the negotiations.
There are substantial grounds
for all these grievances, as The
World freely admits. The appeal
that the President made,in Oc-
tober for a democratic Congress
was a deplorable mistake. 1t
should not have come from the
President, in spite of the fact that
the country got itself into a need
less muddle by dividing it's gov
ernment at this time. The Presi.
dent ought to have appointed two
representative republicans on the
Peace Commission, if for no bet
ter motive than to compel the
republicans to share in the re-
sponsibility for a treaty which
would of necessity involve COM
promises that left it open to Sc
we're criticism in parts. AS for
consulting the Senate during the
negotiations, although no such
obligation existed, it would have
been tactful for him to have be-
gun propitiating it in advance.
but all this is water that has
gone over the dam. The Senate
is dealing with the treaty of peace
not with the political mistakes of
the President. What concerns
the American people and what
concerns the rest of the world is
this treaty of peace, not the po-
litical blunders that the President
may have made last fall and last
winter. The peace of the world
is of more Importance than the
sensibilities of any senator, and
no substantial system of inter.
national relations can be erected
on a foundation of wounded van.
ity.
THE senate cannot beat the
President on this issue without
beating the treaty of peace. 1t
cannot beat the treaty of peace
without disastrous consequences
to everybody. That fact may as
well be conceded first as last. SEN
ator Lodge and his associates are
trying to maintain the thesis
that their personal feeling toward
the President is the most impor-
tant thing in a world in which
I, 900, 600 men have been slaugh-
tered in war, in which nearly
5000, 600, 600, has been de-
stroyed, and IN which great en-
pires have been left to wreck and
chaos. Their success would be a
second only to that of
the war itself"