The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1919-08-28
DELAY ACTION ON
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
Democratic Senate Leaders, Tho Di-
vided, VIII Not Push Compromise
Wilson Answers SEN
at0r Fall.

Washington, Aug. 21.-Democratic
senate leaders, apparently divided
over the expediency Of the compro-
mise proposal for peace treaty reser-
vations separate from the ratification,
decided today not to press for action
the resolution Of Senator Pittman,
Democrat, of Nevada, embodying the
compromise plan The impression
was given that the measure would be
permitted to lie over indefinitely
The decision was taken after Sena-
tor Pittman had made it clear that in
introducing the resolution he acted
on his own initiative, and after Sena-
tor Hitchcock, the administration
leader, had indicated that it was not to
be regarded as inspired by the admin
istration.
Meantime, the Republican leaders
said they were ready for a vote, de-
elaring the Republican group which
favors reservations but wants them
Incorporated in the ratification itself
would line up against the resolution.
Wilson Answers Fall.
Washington, Aug. 21.-President
Wilson has not the power to declare
peace by proclamation, nor could he
consent in any circumstances to take
such course prior to the ratification
of a formal treaty of peace by the
Senate. The president so wrote Sena-
tor Fall today in answer to one of the
20 written questions the senator pre-
scented at the White House conference
on Tuesday.
The Presidents letter follows:
my Dear Senator Fall:
"You left yesterday in my hands
certain written questions which !
promised you / would answer | am
Fastening to fulfill that promise.
II feel constrained to say in reply
to your first question not only that in
my judgment have not the power by
proclamation to declare that peace ex-
lists, but that could in no circumstan-
ces consent to take such a course pri-
or to the ratification of a formal
treaty Of peace. feel it due to per-
feet frankness to say that it would in
my opinion put stain upon our ma
tional honor which we never could eff
face, if after sending our men to the
battlefield to fight the common cause,
we should abandon our associates in
the war in the settlement of the terms
of peace and dissociate ourselves from
all responsibility with regard to those
terms.
Il respectfully suggest that having
said this, l have in effect answered
also your second, third and fourth
questions, so far as I myself am con
cerned.
Permit me to answer your fifth
question by saying that the provisions
Of the treaty to which you refer OPP
crate merely to establish peace be-
tween powers ratifying, and that it is
questionable whether it can be said
that the League of Nations is in any
true sense created by the association
of only three of the allied and associ-
ated governments.
SIN reply to your sixth question, |
can only express the confident opinion
that the immediate adoption of the
treaty along with the articles Of the
covenant of the league as written
would certainly within the near future
reduce the cost of living in this coun-
try as elsewhere, by restoring pro-
duction and commerce to their normal
strength and freedom.
"For your convenience, / will num-
Der the remaining paragraphs of this
letter as the questions to which they
are intended to reply are numbered
Thirteen-There has been a pro-
visional agreement as to the DISPOSE
ton of these overseas possessions
whose confirmation and execution is
dependent upon the approval of the
League of Nations, and the United
States is party to that provisional
agreement.
"Fourteen--The only agreement be-
tween France and Great Britain with
regard to African territory of which
am cognizant concerns the redisposi-
tion of rights already possessed by
those countries on that continent The
provisional agreement referred to in
the preceding paragraph covers all
the German overseas possessions in
Africa as well as elsewhere.
"Fifteen--No mention was made in
connection with the settlement Of the
Saar basin of the service of an Amer
lean member of the commission of
five to be set up there.
Sixteenth was deemed wise that
the United States should be repre-
scented by one member for settling the
new frontier lines of Belgium and
Germany, because of the universal
opinion that Americas representative
would add to the commission use
full element of entirely disinterested
judgment.
"Seventeen-Th choice of the COM
mission for the Saar basin was left to
the council of the League of Nations,
because the Saar basin is for fifteen
years to be directly under the care and
direction of the League of Nations.
"Eighteen-Article SO does in effect
provide that five of the members of
the commission of seven to fix the
boundaries between Poland and
Czecho- Slovakia should be nominated
by certain countries because there are
five principal allied and associated
powers, and the nomination of five
representatives nv those mowers ne