New-York tribune., 1919-09-16
Senator Tells Des Moines.
Iowa, Audiences, He Is
Opposed to Approval Of
Pact Without Changes
Stresses the Allied Gains
Asserts America Would
Be Asked to Guarantee
Britis h Predominancc

DES MONIES. Sept. 15.-vigorous
objection to the approval of the peace
treaty and the league of nations cove
nant by the Senate without amend
ments which protect every interest of
the United States. were voiced by Sem
ator Hiram ". Johnson here tonight
in two addresses delivered before large
and enthusiastic audiences
I'VE fought righteous war and
Y NJ. vid Senator Johnson. with
our might and our treasure we de-
termincd to destroy ruthles militarism,
and it WAS done. In Che peace, we
would make it impossible for this
monster ever again 10 threaten the
world.
"The victory for tho United States
means neither territory nor repara-
tons. II means for England, France,
Italy and Japan huge territories, vast
number Of people, immense national
protecting and safeguarding these
enormous Allied gains. The question
is, and the league of nations souarely
presents it, who shall bear the bur-
den?
Rights of Oppressed Denied
"The sole reason, whispered in fear
or ominously Kissed TO create fear in
the rest oe US, why the United States
should become the worlds guarnntor
and urderwrite the rape Of China and
the partition OF hundreds OF thousands
of square miles OF territory and the
transfer OF millions of human beings
70 England, France, Italy and Japan,
Is that by doing so the possibility of
future wars would be minimized and
there may be a greater sense of Sc
curity in the possession by England,
France. Italy and Japan of their newly
acquired peoples and territory.
"But this argument in its last analy-
sis means that United States power
and treasure and blood will do for
England, France, Italy and Japan what
otherwise they would be compelled to
end of discomfort or the cessation of
war, for peoples held in cruel subjec-
tion like the Coreans or Chinese will
ever be striving for their liberty and
the Differentiation for which we
talked SO much and did so little.
Big Gain by Britain
"Out Of the war Great Britain comes
with a supremacy of the sea unques-
toned. BY the treaty she has a fourth
Of the earths surface and an over
whelmingly preponderance of the peo-
piles of the earth. Great Britain proud
ly contemplates out of this peace a
British world. Shall we, who neither
ask nor get anything from the peace,
guarantee this British world with out
wealth and our man power? France and
Italy and Japan emerged with terri
tories beyond the widest dreams of
their statesmen, and it is demanded
that America shall underwrite all their
immense accessl ions.
"Gladly will we do what duty COM
mands and humanity and civilization
may require, but that duty can be bet
ter done, our obligations to humanity
and civilization better fulfilled in the
high position of the worlds greatest
democracy than IN the subordinate
position Of the least consequential of a
Quintuple alliance, or as one of many
bound irrevocably 70 the guaranty OF
TIE many's power and territories.
This is not a league of nations tc
prevent war. 1t is league Of armed
nations in a gigantic war trust. In its
very creation it has been stripped o,
every idealistic purpose it ever had. II
contains within itself the germs Of
many wars, and, worse than that, il
rivets, as in the Shantung decision, the
chains of tyranny upon millions o.
people and cements for all time un
just and wicked annexations. 1t is
great world economic trust, wherein 6
few men sitting in secret may contro
the economic destinies of peoples. Il
is not league of peoples, nor does it
anywhere concern itself with peoples
whose past wrongs and future rights
were so eluoquently portrayed by the
President. It is trust of existing
present power. 1t will never prevent
war 1t will sanctify power in a new
terrible and sinister sense"