Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-04-30

MORE GAGGING THE SENATE

ImmediateIy alter the hTst draII OF IHt cOVtHaHV VI TO HV's"V :"
Nations was made public in France President Wilson, who started Tor
home Immediately bringing the complete draft with him, cabled to the
members Of the United States senate requesting they refrain from dS-
cussing the covenant until he had had an opportunity !" ~ o"l !"
with them section by section.
The senators made an awful fuss about that simple and perfectly
proper request. They dropped everything that they were doing at
the time, ignored the great mass of important legislation then pend
ing during the closing hours of congress, and devoted al ter umo
denouncing the President and what they termed his attempt to due
late to them. The President was trying to gag congress- they sahd'
and they proceeded to talk about the covenant whether they knew
anything about it or not just to show Preaden "hSOhh " "ue le'
cared for him.
Out of all the storm, condemnation and rancor there was, here
and there, some constructive criticism. Proftng by this the Presi-
dent returned to France and succeeded in doing what had never been
accomplished before. lie obtained from the nations o. the world a
recognition Of the Monroe Doctrine. Not only was it embodied in the
covenant of the League of Nations in principle, but it was actually
mentioned as n international understanding that should be recog-
nized.
Other suggestions, such as the method of withdrawal from the
league, were adopted and embodied in the revised covenant.
Now the revised covenant is made public.
Senator Lodge Immediately teegraphs to all the Republican
members of the United State senate to refrain from discussing the
covenant until he has had chance to meet with them.
Is there any hallabaloo over this request to keep mumf
Is Senator Lodge everywhere denounced as an autocrat, and a
dictator trying to gag the august senatorsG
Are the different senator's rushing into print with their ideas on
the revised covenant just to show Senator Lodge that they do not have
TO take orders from him and to justify their prerogative of speaking
whenever they please?
oh, no.
You see, Senator Lodges sole ambition is to discredit Wilson and
as that is the one aim of his colleagues and he being the big brains
their cue.
As a matter of fact, they are all at a loss for something to say. The
thing they made the biggest howl about when the covenant was first
given out has been corrected; other details have also been changed to
meet reasonable objections and it begins to look as if Wilson was actu-
ally going to put the league over.
This must never be if the Republican senator's can prevent it for
it would forever rebound to the credit of the President.
To oppose theiaea of a League of Nations, as was first proposed
81 The round robin which the famous thirtytwo senator's signed at
yhe behest of Senator Lodge before the last congress adjourned, will
never do because the sentiment of the country has been tested in a
dozen different ways and it is all overwhelmingly in favor of a league.
In fact, the Republican party for years has been advocating just
such an undertaking among nations. The trouble is, the Dmocrats,
under the forward leadership of President Wilson, have stolen their
thunder and they, apparently, would rather see the principle fall than
to have the Democrats put it across. Most of all, President Wilson
must not be allowed to get the credit. rt
But with the President meeting every reasonable objection in an
sfort to actually accomplish something for the good of the world his
petty detractors in the United States senate do not know what to do
next to beat him. Gladly, then, they turn to Senator Lodge for help
and guidance.
The peace of the world, the welfare of humanity, the concord of
men. |
First-Discredit Wilson.
When they felt that they could best dscredit him by defying his
request to remain silent until he had had a chance to go over the
League of Nations covenenant with them, they opened their mouths
End shouted from the house tops. When they now feel that if they can
best d1scredlt him by remaining mum, mum is the word until Senator
Lodge discloses to them his latest scheme for accomplishing their one
purpose. |
Well, there is one satisfaction: Senator Lodge will not be able to
confer with all the Republican senators for some days at least and, in
the meantime, the nation may enjoy a Brief respite from the effusion
of talk that it has been forced to endure since the League of Nations
was proposed by President Wilson.
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