Evening star., 1919-09-03
AMENDING TREATY
SUICIDAL, CHARGES
MINORITY LEADER
Mr.. Hitchcock States Foes
Crawl With Microscope;
Predicts Failure.
IGNORE SUBSTANTIAL
BENEFITS FOR NATION"
Knox Proposal Called an Insane
Mixture of Poltroonery
and Folly"

Declaring the real purpose of the
foreign relations committee majority
in amending the peace treaty was to
kill the treaty entirely and that such
"a course would be suicidal to the
United States. Senator Hitchcock of
Nebraska, democratic leader, asserted
J in Senate speech today that the ma
Ijority of the senator's never would ac-
cept any Of the committee changes.
The treaty opponents. he said.
r~crawl on the ground with a miscro-
tecope searching for pitfalls. in the
league of nations and overlook sub
Btantial benefits which the treaty would
bring the nation.
The proposal of Senator Knox, re-
publican, of Pennsylvania, that the
treaty be rejected and separate peace
be made with Germany was charac-
terized by the speaker as an insane
mixture Of poltroonery and folly
"Squarely Before Senate
by a vote of nine to eight" said
Senator Hitchcock. ''the committee on
foreign relationsis to bring squarely
before the Senate the question of de-
feating the pending treaty. Suppose
the Senate should vote in favor of
the Shantung amendment or any other
What would happen?
Either the President would refuse
TO go further with the treaty, or he
would submit the amendment to the
nations associated with the United
would accept it? Does any one believe
that Great Britain, who has already
ratlned the treaty and is also under
pledge to Japan with regard TO Shan
tung. would accept the Shantung
amendment? Does any one think that
France, also under a pledge to Japan.
would ratify this change? Does any
one suppose that Japan herself would
submit to this humiliation before the
eyes of the world?
cannot conceive of any intelli-
gent and candid man who MOULD as
sumo such thing as q possibility
we Wonad be met by an instant re-
1usaf 10 accept the amendment, and
enen whSre would the United States
hnd itself in this international set
tiement! We would find ourselves
out in the cold, isolated from the rest
OF the world. The work of ratifying
the treaty would proceed without us
The treaty itself provides that
when three nations in addition to
Germany have signed it shall go
Int" effect. 1t is easy to see the
enormous benefits which Great Britain
ana FRANCE will derive from this
chance. 1t is preposterous to suppose
THAT Japan will delay it's ratification.
The result is beyond all question.
Benefits in Treaty.
What then will the United States
do2 Some say that Congress can
pass joint resolution decIafins a
state of peace with Germany others
say the United States can negotia te
separate and independent treaty.
ihose who talk this way evidently
nave no conception of the enormous
benefits which the United States de-
rives from this treaty.
In article 231 Germany Is COM
PEELED to accept fun responsibility
for the damages caused By the war.
Does any one think IL we undertook
10 negotiate a separate treaty with
Germany, Germany would make any
such concessions to the United
States? Germany might say she had
never declared war on the United
States: that it was the United States
which forced war upon her.
Take the matter Of German prop
erty in the United States. Under this
treaty all acts of the United States
and of the alien property custodian
with regard to that property are
validated unless Germany can show
actual fraud Is any one insane
voluntarily make that concession to
US if we lose the hold upon her
which this treaty gives? Suppose
Germany points to the treaties of
10 respect the private property of
German nationals in the United
States?
Reparations Commission.
This treaty creates a commission
called the reparations commission.
Cnquestionably it will be the most
powerful international body ever
created 1t receives from Germany
all reparations paid and distributes
them to the various nations. Does
any one think, under the circum-
stances. the United States can afford
not to have representative on the
reparations commission?
ITO my mind IL would be suicidal
TO throw away the advantages and
benefits provided in this treaty 1t
would be disastrous commercially and
financially.
Defeat of the treaty by means of
proposed amendments to II is the
real program and hope of the major
1ty of the committee on foreign re-
lations- 1t is for this purpose tina.
the treaty has been locked up in cold
storage for SO many weeks. They
have felt justified in retaining the
treaty in committee, holding useless
hearings and making killing amend
nents with the full knowledge that
amendments would beat the treaty
Just as effectively as a refusa. to
ratify.
"A few-a very few-haye declared
they would vote against the treaty
because Of the league of nations. but
IL has remained for Senator Knox
10 declare boldly against our nart:ci-
patton in the peace settlement To
say that he has amazed the country
Is to put IL mildly. He has shocked
the country. He formerly favored
taking the league of nations out of
the treaty and ratifying the peace
settlement with Germany. Now he
suddenly changes front.
Demanded Dictated Terms.
What has become of the high pro.
fessions of last year? Last October
when Germany sought terms for the
armistice. the senators now seeking
10 kill this treaty shouted for un-
conditional surrender They demand
ed terms of peace dictated to Ger
: many. They insisted that the United
2 States should to the last maintain the
closest cooperation with the allied
governments. They said IL would be
breach of faith il we failed to
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