The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-09-06
President About to Start on His
Trip to Tell People About
the Peace Treaty.
LIVING COST IS INVOLVED
Opponents of Pact Propose Many
Amendments to Keep America
From "Forsign Entanglements"
Montenegro Revolts
Against Serbian Rule
Palmer Predicts
Lower Prices.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD.

Being satisfied that economic cOndi-
lions the world over absolutely depend
on the ratification of the peace treaty,
and decidedly disturbed by the violent
assaults on that pact in the senate
committee on foreign relations, Presi-
dent Wilson determined that his speak
ing tour Of the country could not be
much longer postponed. He announced
that he would start on Wednesday,
September 3, and would visit about so
of the principal cities, being absent
from Washington about 25 days. At
San Francisco he will review the Pa
cit1c fleet. 1t was said in Washington
that the president considered the trip
Of greater Importance than any func-
ton arranged for the reception Of
General Pershing, who is about to
come home.
The peace treaty is by no means the
only subject on which Mr.. Wilson will
address the people. He is much exer-
cised by the labor situation, especially
as it applies to the railroads, and will
take the opportunity to try to impress
on the workers the wisdom of avoiding
strikes in order to allay unrest and
restore normal conditions and thus
help bring down the cost of living.
Some half dozen of the most stub
born opponents Of the peace treaty In
the senate also will leave Washington
during the week to appeal to the coun-
try to uphold them in the position they
have taken. Among them will be Sen
ators Johnson, Poindexter, Borah and
Reed. They are not going to trail the
president, but will expend their eff
forts mainly in states whose senators
are classed among the mild reserva-
tionists. These senators, they hope,
can be forced to join the group of ex-
tremists. The latter are now openly
trying to defeat not only the League
Of Nations covenant but the main
body Of the treaty. With this end in
view the foreign relations committee
which they control, has adopted a
series of amendments to the treaty Of
fered by Senator Fall. These not only
would restore Shantung directly to
China, but would exclude the United
States from all the interallied com
missions set up by the pact except
that on reparations. Lodge and his
followers hold that the treaty, even If
drastically amended, would leave the
United States liable to become en-
broiled in the controversies of Europe
and Asia.
This action of the committee was
bitterly assailed in the senate by Dem
ocrats and by Republicans of the mild
reservation" group, and it was pre-
dicted that the amendments would not
be accepted by the senate. Senator
McCumber especially attacked the
Shantung amendment, declaring 1t was
the greatest blow that could be struck
at the real interests of China. Sena-
tor Borah replied that the Shantung
settlement was indefensible from the
standpoint of international morals
and common decency.
In this connection the fact that DR..
Paul Reinsch, our minister to China,
has just resigned is significant. 1t is
understood in Washington that he
found his position in Picking untenable
on account of the approval of the
Shantung settlement by the American
peace delegates, since, according to the
general belief, he had good deal to
do with persuading China to enter the
war on promises of American support.
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