The Raymer enterprise., 1919-09-18
Leaders in Forty States, Regard
less Of Party, Sign Ringing
Appeal.
TREATY WITHOUT AMENDMENT
Say Every Day Of Delay Puts World
In Imminent Peril Of New
War-Point to National
Unrest.

dred and fifty leading Americans. Re.
publicans and Democrats representing
forty different states and every prom
inent activity, have joined in a non
partisan effort To bring about the rasi.
fication OF the Peace T,Atty without
amendment and without delay" Their
names are attached 10 an address 10
the United States Senate. which was
made public today, through the League
to enforce Peace, after il had been sent
10 every member Of the Senate.
The signers, almost without excep
tfon, are men and women Of national
reputation. They include such promi.
nent citizens as ex-President Taft,
George w. Wickersham, Attorney Gen.
eral In the last Republican adminisira-
ton; A. Lawrence Lowell, president Of
Harvard; Charles c. Moore of San
Francisco. president OF the Panama
Exposition; Judge George Gray of VIII
mington, Del. President Samuel Com
pers Of the American Federation Of
Labor, Harry A. Wheeler Of Chicago,
retiring president of the Chamber of
Commerce of the United States; Mrs.
Carrie Chapman Gait. president OF the
National American Woman Suffrage
Association Cyrus II. H. Curtis, tho
Philadelphia publisher; President He
Der j. Grant of the Mormon Church,
and Spargo, leader of the Socialists
who supported the war.
The sIgners declare that every day
Of delay In ratifying the treaty puts
the world In Imminent peril of new
war"
Their statement follows.
In the Senate at Washington, now
that the committee on foreign rela-
tlons has reported the treaty, the lines
are sharply drawn between the imme-
diate ratification OF the treaty of peace
with Germany, and its amendment with
a reassembling Of the conference and
r reopening Of negotiations that
would bring great delay and prolonged
uncertainty In settling the great issues
Of the peace. No partisan plea can be
made Party lines are already broken
Standing at distance from the
| conflict In the Senate chamber, we
plead for immediate ratification with
out delay. Our land requires It,. A
state OF nervous strain, tension and un-
rest exists manlfesting itself in dis
turbances, which In some cases have
no self evident connection with the
war, but which are, in fact, Its after.
math. The world is put In imminent
peril Of new wars by the lapse of each
day. Discussions between us and our
former allies are being sown. We
firmly believe and solemnly declare
that the states and cities in which we
dwell desire immediate peace.
The waging of war steadied and unit
ed the American people. Peace will
bring property, and prosperity con
tent Delay In the Senate postponng
ratification In this uncertain period of
neither peace nor war has resulted in
indeclsion and doubt, bred strife aud
| qulckened the cupidity of those who
sell the daily necessities Of life and
| the fears Of those whose daily wage no
longer fills the daily market basket
We beseech the Senate to give the
land peace and certainly by ratifiea-
tion which will not keep us longer IN
the shadows Of possible wars, but q g
the whole world the light of peace,
Reservations In the nature OF clarffl'
| cations In the meaning OF the treaty,
not inconsistent with It's terms, will not
require the reopening Of the negotia-
t'ons with Germany and with our as
sOciates In the war, which we all and
| each united to win.
But there Is no possibility of doubt
that amendment Of the treaty. as is
now proposed by the Senate Commit
tee on Foreign Relations, would re-
| qulre negotiation and a reopening ol
all the questions decided at Paris
Months OF delay would follow. The
perils OF the present would become the
deadly dangers Of the near future. All
the doubt engendered would aid the
plots for violent revolution In this and
other lands. The issues here and else
where between capital and labor, the
conspiracy Of speculat0r and proflteer,
would all grow and become more peril
GUS.
This cannot be. The American peo-
| pie cannot, after victorious war,
permit Its government to petition Ger
many, which has accepted the treaty,
for Its consent to changes In the trea'
ty. Yet II the United States should
amend the treaty for lts own purpose
and policy, Germany would have full
right to ask for concessions. Ger
many has agreed to make no claim In
regard to enemy property seized In
/ this country to an amount of seven
hundred million dollars. Our recent
| foe could ask for reopenIng Of this
issue and OF the Lustania claims. II
| could raise every question open be
| fore hostIitIes In regard to submarine
warfare and the treatment Of Its ma
tionals In this country All the pro
/ visions for our trade in Germany
raised by the economic clauses Of the