The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-06-17
SENATOR KNOX
OPENS FIGHT
Defies Democrats to FiIibuster on His
Resolution or Attempt to
Prevent a Test
Vote

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.
WASHINGTON, June 17.-Warning
democrats against any stand that
would deny the senate or the American
people opportunity of mature deliber-
alton upon the league of nations, Sen
ator Knox today opened the senate
fight over his resolution to virtually
separate the peace treaty and the
league covenant.
Knox def1ed democrats, in effect, to
!filfbuster on his resolution or to at
tempt to prevent test vote upon it.
IF senators on the other side con.
ltinue as party to oppose all efforts
to secure full consideration Of this
great matter; If they do not cease to
listen to and obey the mere fiat Of a
partisan executive; If they remain
firm in their stand against the con
stitutional right of the senate fully and
fairly to consider this question upon
its merits; and if they persis, in their
denial Of the sovereign right OF the
people to deliberate upon and reach a
decision concerning It,; if this is to
be the party attitude of senators who
oppose, then / say here and now, in
all soberness, I shall be the last to
shrink from the issue which they so
force. And I will say furthe>, II to
stand for the rights of the senate as
co-equal part of the treaty making
power is a manifestation Of part san
ship, then I am a partisan; il to de-
mand that the people of the United
States shall have right to make up
their own minds as to whether or not
we shall put ourselves under the do
mination Of the balance of the world,
then, thank God, / am a partisan.
Senators of the opposition, you
Lnay make this Partisan issue If you
choose, but If you do you must pay to
the American people and to their pos
terity throughout all time the penalty
which they will exact"
Declaring his object Is to obtain i'm
mediate peace for the United States
and the world, Knox said:
What / want now to secure is
what the whole people of the United
States ardently wish-peace, imme-
date permanent peace; six long weary
months have been consumed by the
peace conference in Paris by merely
drawing the peace terms that are to
be forced upon our enemies, six long
weary months Of secret quibbltng, bar
1ering and quarreling. OF these six
1oonths must be added another during
which our crushed and fallen enemies
have been considering whether or not
at the penalty of an invasion and occu-
patton of their country they would
sign the treaty so drawn
And still we wait. Meanwhile
Europe is in turmoil, to the point OF
anarchy and chaos. Our own country
remains in a status of war, under irk-
some laws inimical to our freedom. In
flIepces hostile to our government and
institutions thrive and propagate.
Thieves and bolshevists and anar
chists feed, fatten and grow to threat
ening proportions on the fears of peo-
pie. The people themselves are torn
by uncertainties and dread and indus
try and commerce lag and walt We
must, sir, have peace--a wise and
permanent peace-and to get this we
must have the wisdom of the senate
as well as the wisdom of the execu-
tive"
Knox admitted his resolution
would in effect sever the treaty and
the covenant, but said that an 'tun-
named member of the American
peace delegation had been quoted in
press dispatches from Paris as say
Ing that, while the covenant is part
of the treaty, it does not actually
deal with the terms of peace, and
therefore is essentially of different
character"
Knox analysed the various provi-
sions Of his resolution to show, he