The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-12

ment OF the world, my partisan preju-
| dices would be rejoicing. But the Pres
ident told the people of Ohio that he
mad only, to report to them-in a broad
sense, the people--and 1t so happens
that I, too. as Insignificant as my po-
sition Is relatively. have to report 10
| the same people. and want them to
have not only the truth but all the
truth; not only fine generalities but IL
| Eliminating details.
The treaty is being expounded by it's
chief author to the people with vastly
more freedom of utterance than this
BODY has known. notwithstanding our
solemn responsibility in making It a
binding covenant on the part OF this Re
public Perhaps 1t does not matter, be-
| cause we have before us the treaty itself,
ana we know what 1t says, though we
| do not have all the collateral covenants
| and do not know all to which we are
pledged or to what ratification COM
mits us.
Yet we have had the advantage, or
disadvantage II you prefer, of hearing
| also from others of the Peace Commits
sion. from experts who drafted many of
| It's articles, and alas, we have heard
| from many who spoke for those who
pleaded for their rights at Paris and
who declared that they were not heard,
|
being the first conservation of interna-
tional conscience to the rights>of helpless
peoples and small nations,
Recalls Fatal Pre-war Talk.
senators, 1t is a great thing to be
| eloquent and persuasive in speech, hut II
Is also very dangerous thing. I mean
to be quite as respectful as / am sin
cere when I say that our present involve
ment and our futher ENHANCEMENT and
| most of the worlds restlessness and
\ revolution and threatened revolutions
are largely traceable to pre-war utter
ances and wartime pronouncements
| Once before in this chamber 1 cbal-
| lenged some of the statements as to
\ why we went to war. I speak OF It again
| now because the President told the peo-
pie of my State that our soldiers were
| drafted for the very purpose of ending
war; and this league as negotiated is
! the only thing that will do 1t.
ut does not seem to have occurred to
| any one that we might appeal to the
pride of the peoples of the earth. Still
| more recently very eminent authority
has proclaimed all opponents of the
| covenant as contemplate cutters II
| they do not see the game through.
Senator Harding read succession or
| brief excerpts from the utterances OF the
l President at various times and places
since the beginning of the war to show
how in various times and circumstances
| the President had always been able to
| find a new and original reason for every
move and how at each step OF his prog
| ress he had advanced a new excuse for
| Americas entrance into the war. Then
he turned back to the allegations that
the Senate was composed of a group OF
contemplate cutters. He continued;
| NO, Senators, there were 20 cutters
after the task was once assumed. We
| finished in triumph. An arrogant, Of
| Tending military Germany Is no more.
That job was we'll done. But after 1t
| was done, having no concern for Eu-
ropes affairs, seeking nothing of terri
tory. nothing of reparation-and getting
none, let 1t be said-the sons OF the
Republic wanted to come home, and the
4 people of the United States wanted them
home, and II was in the great heart OF
the Republic to turn to the restoration.
make the earliest recovery possible from
the ravages and extravagances and
wastes and sorrows of war.
That is not CUTTERS programme.
That Vas distinctly and becomingly the
American policy, the wish of highest
American devotion. We had never en-
tered any alliance. The treaty speaks
/
and associated Powers. We we're the
| .associated' Power, because when Ger
nany committed her acts of war against
US, we Joined the warfare OF the Allies
against her and made common cause
against the common enemy. We had
no compacts, no covenants. no secret
arrangements. Alas! We did nos even
know the secret agreements the Allies
had. 1t would have little mattered.
perhaps. had We not proclaimed over
much against secret agreements and
proposed n new birth for all the world.
Died as Defenders of U. $.
eve did cooperate. We fought under
French command, and our soldiers were
comrades to French to Italian, to Bel
CLAN and to British. because We were
battling for tho defeat of a common
enemy. We paid our own way TO The
last farthing. We gave OF treasure
without reckoning. and Americans died
not az Allies but as Americans. That
was the one supreme consolation, IN
every hero's last living thought. Cru
saders seeking a human Relationship
that God Himself hath not wrought?
No! They were heroic defenders OF
these United States
ut may be recorded, Senators. that
America finished the task for which
| her sons were sent 10 EUROPE ana tne
unfinished work which is now alleged
is an after thought, to which America
was never committed. about which our
people were never consulted, concerning
which our very peace commissioners
were not advised. No one questions
the lofty aims of President Wilson nc
one would hinder consistent endeavoI
for all desirable attainment. No one
opposes because the American particlpa-
ton Is exclusively Wilsonian or because
the covenant is of British conception
IL is the covenant itself and the effect
Of our committal which calls for con
sideration.
Must We have this particular cove.
, nant to save us from European broils
and Old World conflicts, as the Presl-
dent asserts? In a hundred years Of
American development and growing In.
huence no war involved us. though 12t
, wars are recorded in that period. We
/. were not involved in 1898. we went be-
cause conscience was impelling.
81 quite agree that Germany might
have preferred to respect our rights
rather than involve US in the late world
war II she had believed we would answer
| affront with armed defence. but the
President was toe busy keeping US out OF
; war to utter a vigorous American warn.
, ing. Germany held US In contempt
: which one militant American voice in
authority might have dissolved, but we
! delayed until 100000 nghting sons OF
the Republic shot Germany to respectful
understanding.
1--WE have settled It for all time