Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-09-03
Declares Such Course
Would Be Suicidal
To u. S.
CALLS KNOX PLAN
INSANE MIXTURE.
Combination of Pol
troonery and Folly.
He Declares

W WNA11AAANNA OAN3 CNRss ny
Associated Press. Declaring the
real purpose of the senate foreign
relations committee majority in
amending the peace treaty was to kin
the treaty entirely, and that such o
course would be suicidal to the Unit
ed States, Senator Hitchcock, demo
cratic leader, asserted in a senate
speech today that a majority of the
senators never would accept any of
the committee changes.
He characterized as an ''insane
mixture of poltroonery and folly"
Senator Knox's proposal that the
treaty be rejected and a separate
peace made with Germany
The treaty opponents he said,
crawl on the ground with micro
scope searching for pitfall" in the
League of Nations and overlook
substantial benefits which the treaty
would bring the nation.
"By vote of nine to eight" said
Senator Hitchcock, "the committee on
foreign relations is to bring squarely
before the Senate he question of de-
feating the pending treaty Suppose
the Senate should vote in favor Of
the Shantung amendment of any
other what would happen?
Either the President would refuse
to go further with the treaty, or he
would submit the amendment to the
nations associated with the United
States. Does any one believe that
Great Britain, who has already rati-
fled the treaty and is also under
pledge to Japan with regard to Shan
tung, would accept the Shantung
amendment? Does any one think that
France, also under a pledge to Ja.-
pan, would ratify this change? Does
anyone suppose that Japan herself
would submit to this humiliation be-
fore the eyes Of the world?
81 cannot conceive of any intel
hgent. and candid man who would n
assume such thing as possibility
We would be met by an instant re-
fusal to accept the amendment, and
then where would the United States
find itself in this international set
tlement? We would find ourselves
out in the cold, isolated from the.
rest of the world. The work of
ratifying the treaty would proceed
without us.
"The treaty itself provides that
when three nations in addition to
Germany have signed it shall go in
to effect. 1t is easy to see the en-
ormous benefits which Great Britain
and France will derive from this
treaty. They will not take any
chances. 1t is preposterous to sup
pose that Japan will delay ratifica
tion.
"What then will the United States
do? Some say that Congress can pass
a joint resolution declaring state
of peace with Germany. Others say
the United States can negotiate a
separate and independent treaty
Those who talk this way evidently
have no conception of the enormous
bEIGllIS WHICH LIlG OHlGSu DLobVS Nv
rives from this treaty
''In Article Psi, Germany is conr-
PEELED to accept full responsibility for
the damages caused by the war. Does
anyone think if we undertook to ne
gotiate a separate treaty with Ger
many, Germany would make any
such concessions to the United
States? Germany might say she had
never declared war on the United
States; that it was the United States
which forced war upon her"
While republican leaders hope to
report the peace treaty to the senate
Friday, they said today discussion on
the resolution of ratification, in whfcfs
the reservations will be INCORPORATED,
would take some time and might de-
lay the report until early next week.