The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-08-04
SHALL THE PEACE TREATY
BE RATIFIED?

The Outlook has never been a
partisan of the present admins
tration. Indeed, its editorial poll
cies have generally peen at
crosspurposes with those OF Pres
ident Wilson. That the Outlook
is advocating the ratification OF
the peace treaty, including the
covenant, cannot therefore be
attributed in amy sense to par
tiality to the man who played the
principal role for America IN
framing it.
Following all the discussions IN
and out of congress during the
last few weeks, the Outlook sums
up its position as follows:
Should there be amendments!
Our Judgment is that there
shuold not.
"For at least quarter OF a
century enlightened statesmen
have been trying to establish ma
chinery for settling, as far as pos
sible, international disputes by
judicial procedure. The world
war. suddenly and dramatically,
convinced the world Of the neces-
sity of some international trlbu-
nal. The five great nations most
instrumental in winning the war
have after laborious conference,
devised such a plan. They amend
ed the plan and attempted to
safeguard the special interests OF
the United States ON receiving
suggestions from American states
men not actively participating IN
the peace conference. The plan
provides method for future
amendments if they should be
found desirable, as they doubtless
will be, after the plan IS put INTO
operation. 1t also provides SIM
ple method Of withdrawal Tor any
nation that does not like the plan
after it has tried it. In ordinary
personal or business contracts and
agreements such provisions would
be considered liberal and eX-
tremely safe for the contracting
PARTIES Nations are simply IN
dividuals acting on a grand scale.
A principle which is safe IN Hdl-
vidual relationship is sale IN ma
tionaI relationships If the pres
ent opportunity Of trying inter-
national judicial procedure, sup |
ported by thirty-two nations oil
the world, is rejected. who knows |
when mankind will have another
such chance? If the United States
senate amends the treaty, it will
in fact reject it, The treaty VIII
have TO 90 back to reconVened
peace conference at Paris Tor con
currence. Can the conference be
reconvened? Do we want to run
the risk The Outlook thinks not.
"Win reservations destroy the
treatyq No, if they are put IN
supplementary form and in gen
eral terms. Ii. for example. the J
senate should say of articles VIZ
and X that it accepts them with
the clear understanding that the
final authority regarding cedur-
ton of armaments or participa-
ton in war by the United States
rests in congress, no harm could
be done. But the necessity Tor
such reservations is not apparent
to MS For in these matters the
explicit language of the covenant
is that the action of the executive
council of the league shall be
simply recommendatOry and adj /
visory. The danger of reserVa-
tions is that they may he so
framed as to make practical inter-
probation of the covenant dlfil-
cult. !
"For these reasons. while we
do not object to simple reServa-
tions. we should advise. if asked.
against them. They seem to us
in danger of increasing rather
than diminishing the difficulties
Of the situation. The common
sense course is TO start the ma
chine. see how it works, and mod
fy it after observing lis opera
ion"