The sun., 1919-09-11
TREATY CHANGES
VITAL, SAYS REPORT


for the exclusion Of the aggregate vote
Of any nation where It or any Of lite
colonies or dominions Is involved in In
ternational matters before the league.
SO far aa is concerned the league col
iapsing like q pricked balloon II the
Senate dares to make amendments to
the treaty or embody reservations at
fecting the league in the ratification
resolution, the report points out the utter
folly of this species of propaganda.
1--WE have heard II frequently said that
the United States must do this and do
that In regard to this League OF Nations
and the terms of the German peace"
said the report. There Is no must
about IL. Must Is not a word to be
used by foreign nations or domestic Of
ficials to the American people or their
representatives. Equally uniting Is
the attempt to frlghten the unthinking
by suggesting that IL the Senate adopts
amendments or reservations the United
States may be excluded from the
league"
That is the one thing that cannot hap
pen, II was pointed out Without tha
United States "the league Is wrecked
and all their gains from victorious
peace are imperilled."
The report In full follows'
The treaty Of peace with Germany
was laid before the Senate by the
President on July 10, 1919. Three
days were consumed in printing the
treaty, which was in two languages
and filed 537 quarto pages. The
treaty therefore was not In the pos
session of the committee for action
until July IA, 1919. The report upon
the treaty was ordered by the COM
mjttee on September 4. Deducting
Sundays and a holiday the treaty
has been before the Committee on
Foreign Relations for forty-five days.
The committee met on thirty-seven
OF those working days, sitting when
ever possible, both in the morning
and afternoon. The eight working
days upon which the committee dld
not sit were lost owing to unavoid-
able delays in securing the presence
of witnesses summoned by the COM
mittee. In view of the fact that
six months were consumed by the
Peace Conference in making the
treaty, in addition to month or
work by the various DELEGATIONS be-
fore the assembling of the conference.
the period of six weeks consumed
by the committee in considering 1t
does not seem excessive.
THESE 1aCIS are menllOHeu DSCduSC
there has been more or less clamor
about delay in the committee. This
demand for speed in the considera-
ton of the most important subject
which ever came before the Senate or
the United States, involving as 1t
does fundamental changes In tho
character of our Government and the
future of our country for an un-
limited period. was largely the work
of the Administration and its news
paper organs and was so far wholly
artificial Artificial also was the de-
mand for haste disseminated by Ger
tain great banking firms which had
q direct pecuniary interest in secur-
ing an early opportunity to reap the
harvest which they expected from the
adjustment OF the financial obliga-
tions of the countries which had been
engaged in the war The third ele-
ment in the agitation for haste was
furnished by the unthinking cutlery
of many excellent people who desired
early action and who for the most
part had never read the treaty or
never got beyond the words league
of nations" which they believed TO
mean the establishment of eternal
peace. To yield helplessly to this
clamor was impossible to those to
whom was entrusted the performance
Of a solemn public duty.
Responsibility of Senate.
The responsibility of the Senate
in regard to this treaty Is equal to
that of the Executive, who, al
though aided by a force of 1900
assistants, expert and otherwise,
consumed six months in making 1t.
and the Senate and its COMMITTEES on
Foreign Relations cannot dispose OF
this momentous document with the
dight hearted Indifference desired by
those who were pressing for hasty
and thoughtless action upon 1t. The
committee was also hampered by the
impossibility of securing the full in
formation to which they were entitled
from those who had conducted the
negotiations. The committee were
compelled to get such imperfect in
formation as they secured from press
reports, by summoning before them
some of the accessible experts who
had helped to frame the complicated
financial clauses and certain outside
witnesses. As an illustration in a
small way of the difficulties in secur-
ing information, II may be stated that
no provision had been made to supply
the Senate with the maps accom-
panying the treaty. and 1t was neces-
sary to send to Paris to procure
them. The only documents of the
many asked for by the committee
which were furnished by the Execu-
tive were the American plan for the
League OF Nations, submitted 30 the
commission on the league covenant,
and the composite draft made by ex-
perts of that commission.
The treaties with Poland and with
France as well as the Rhine protocol,
all integral parts of the treaty with
Germany. were obtained by the
Senate. prior 70 their transmission by
the President, from the documents laid
before the House of Commons and the
Chamber of Deputies early in July
by the Prime Ministers of England and
France. The records of the Peace
Conference and of the conferences
of the representatives Of the five great
Powers were asked for by the COM
mittee and refused by the Executive.
The committee had before them the
Secretary of State, who was one of
the American delegates and a signer
of the treaty and they also had the
privilege of a meeting with the
President at the White House which
they had themselves requested. The
testimony Of the Secretary of State
and the conversation of the commit
tee with the President published in
the record of the committee hearings,
have been laid before the country by
the press and It is not necessary to
say anything further in regard to
them because the people themselves
know how much information in re-