The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-05-28
SENATOR'S ATTACK
LEAGUE COVENANT
Debate i'm Senate Continues
Bitter
SENATOR/REED
LEADS ATTACK

to Missouri Democrat and Draws
Forth Reply from Senator Knox
Who Said Supporters OF League
Should Read Covenant Before At
tempting Its Defense.
Washington, May 26.-The league of
nations was debated in the senate
again today with an increasing show
Of bitterness.
Senator Reed Democrat, Of Mis-
souri,, attacked the proposal in such
vigorous terms that he aroused re-
peated objections from senator's sup
porting 1t and developed running
debate colored by dramatic accusa-
tons and heated reports. The Mis-
souri, senator declared the league
would place the destinies Of the white
race in the hands Of ignorant and
supcrstitious nations Of black and vel
low population, and charged that
many Democrats were supporting It
for partisan reasons.
In frequent Interruptions of the
Missouri senator's speech, Senator
Hitchcock, Of Nebraska, ranking Dem
ocrat of the foreign relations commit
tee, insisted that the premises for
these charges were false and that tho
mferences drawn were unfair and dan
gerous. He drew in turn reply from
senator Knox, Republican, Of Pennsyl
wanna, who suggested that supporters
OF the league convenant should read
1t before they discussed 1t.
SO heated did the exchange become
at one point that the chair raped for
order and Senator Reed declared that
Senator Hitchcock had "lost his tenn
per-"
The measure which brought the
league issue before the senate was
the resolution Of Senator Johnson.
Republican, Of California, requesting
from the State Department the full
text Of the peace treaty. There was
no attempt to report a vote ON the
resolution, on which debate began
last Friday, and the measure went oy-
er again as unfinished business TO
come up when the Senate rcconvencs
Wednesday,
Without speaking directly on the
Johnson resolution, Senator Reed
made general attack upon the
league covenant itself as a proposal
and the civilized world to an assembly
or nations where a majority always
could be brought together on any race
question in opposition to white SUI
premacy He declared support Of the
league plan never could be explained
at home by snators from the South.
with It's negro problem, or from the
West. with its Chinese and Japanese
problems. Turning dramatically 10
his Democratic colleague, he continu-
cd:
"If a Republican president had
brought in hcre-if Roosevelt had
brought 1t hcrc--there Is not a Dem
ocrat that wouldn't have been stand
ing by my side fighting to the last
ditch to rescue the country from a
monstrous and so cruel thing"
Southern Democrats particularly
were chided for refusing to recognize
the negro as an equal at tho ballot
box, but at the same time accepting
South Africa and other nations where
the black race predominates as men,
bers Of the league assembly on an
equality with the United States.
"You think you can control the vote
OF the black race" he asserted "but
on any question OF race equality you
never will be able to do It,"
To support his prediction that the
black, yellow, brown and red races
would combine to embarrass the white
race, Senator Reed cited the amend
ment offered by Japanese delegates
at Paris to the league covenant guar
anteelng race equality. Although the
amendment failed he said, the Japan
eso delegates reserved the right to
bring 1t later before the league for
determination.
He also quoted from q periodical
published by negroes in this country
passage declaring q league OF ma