Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-14
JOHNSON ASSA|LS
PRESIDENTS PLEA
Senator Dissects the Demand
for immediate Ratifica.
ton of Treaty.
SAYS FACTS MAKE ISSUE

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, September Ia
minutes, and rivalled his st. Louis re-
ception. greeted Senator Hiram w.
johnson of California here tonight.
Convention Hall. the largest audi
torium in the city. was crowded and
stood while it cheered. waved flags
and sang patriotic songs. There were
shouts Of johnson is the next Presi-
dent"
The meeting was under the auspices
of the local charter Of the League for
the Preservation Of American Inde-
pendence.
Senator johnson. in his address. Wig
orously attacked the peace treaty and
league of nations pact. He declared
the league covenant the most inn
portant question that had confronted
war.
I'VE are at the crossroads of our
national destiny" said Senator john
son. "One road leads to sinister
European and Asiatic complications.
The other is the straight and narrow
path of patriotic Americanism. We
want to take the straight and narrow
path. That is the only safe course"
Country Never Isolated.
II dare say that this country has
never been isolated. financially, COM
mercially or socially. from the rest Of
the world" the senator continued.
"Our only isolation has been geo.
graphical. because of the great oceans
on our east and west coasts. God
gave us these great oceans and neither
Wilson can dry them up
He described the league of nations
covenant as an Infamous nostrum."
which the President promises will
cure every ill
President Wilson went to Paris
with certain idealistic principles. but
came home without any of Them"
said the senator. when the people
learned of the Presidents failure at
Paris America held an inquest over
its dead hopes"
While Senator johnson was speaking
Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood. commander
of the Central Division and formerly
appeared on the platform and was
cheered by the crowd.
I'VE say to Mr.. Wilson," Senator
Johnson continued, make any secret
guarantee them with the blood Of
American boys"
Thinks President Was Ironical.
at is difficult to think that the
President spoke otherwise than iron
ically in much that he said to you here
in Kansas City," said Senator John
son. His opening sentence. forget
full apparently Of other utterances and
of the facts, assumes a like forget
fulness on the part Of our people,"
His initial remark to you was:
7 came back from Paris bringing one
Of the greatest documents of human
history One Of the things that made
it great was that 1t is penetrated
which America had devoted her life.
1.-THE facts, the inrevocable facts.
make the issue with Mr.. Wilson.
The American principles to which
we were devoted, and which are SO
voiced. open covenants,
freedom OF the seas. guarantees Of re-
duction of national ornaments, i'm
Of every arbitrary power.
self-determination, no special alli-
ances, justice to the weak, no people
to be handed about from sovereignty
to sovereignty, as If they were prop
erty, no territory to change hands ex-
cept for the happiness and liberty Of
its people, were one by one sacrificed
to old world diplomacy and the secret
bargains Of our cobelligerents.
1.-The treaty in its dealings with ter
and peoples simply rewrites
the secret treaties Of which the Presi-
dent says he never heard until he
reached Paris.
Nor is this all. We know from the
of all parties, including the
that the other American
peace delegates protested against the
infamy Of the Shantung decision; and
yesterday the testimony of DR.. Bullitt,
one OF the Presidents appointees at
Paris, clearly indicated adverse
opinion of the present treaty. The
facts-the memorable facts-make the
issue with Mr.. Wilson.
Question Of Disarmament.
again, to you the President said:
We want disarmament and this docu-
ment provides in the only possible
way for disarmament by common
agreement. They promise disarma-