Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-06
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Taft and the Treaty
By BRIGGS
To the Editor of the Telegraph:

In your issue of even date, in an
editorial on Taft and the Treaty."
you say: Former President Taft is
so enthusiastically in favor of q
League of Nations that he would
have the country adopt Mr.. Will
sons plan without change or reser-
Vation. He talks of those who op-
pose the League without reserva-
tions as q small minority" These
two words are all that you quote
from Mr.. Taft's address in editorial.
Nor do you state when, or where,
Mr.. Taft made this statement. I
have carefully read Mr.. Taft's edi-
torials in the Philadelphia Ledger,
and have failed to find such a
statement as you seem to attribute
to him. Mr.. Taft is, as you justly
say, "a big mana very big man."
and one of the elements of his great
ness Is, not his inerrancy for he
sometimes shows that he is mortal
in that he errs but kis reliability,
his judicial temperament. He has
spoken and written with calm delib-
GRAFTON, and in a spirit of eminent
fairness, even spirit of compro-
mise. He is not one of the "bitter-
enders," and If Wilson had been as
do IdlI Tile TeCOTu
the 18th of November made by the
United States Senate would not have
been what it is. Mr.. Taft has recog-
nized the fact for some time that
the Treaty could not be ratified with
out reservations. He has specifi-
cally stated that the Treaty and the
League are both experiments" that
they are both defective, and the
League is capable of much improve
ment in a good deal of its machin-
cry. The necessity and wisdom of
selves when the League goes into
practical operation" And while,
with number of Senator'S, he would
have agreed to ratification, he was
also willing to sacrifice something
to save so much of benefit to the
world as will be saved if the Treaty
can be ratified with all the reserva-
tions except the fourteenth"
y Now as to Mr.. Taft's quoted state
ment, that those who oppose the
League without reservations are a
small minority" to what does he
refer? In his editorial in the Led
ger of November 81 he speaks of the
overwhelming demand that some
thing be done of a definite char
acter." Senators will find but little
patience with deadlock when so
Senator's are for a Treaty and q
League and only 81 are needed to
ratify." And in another paragraph
of this same editorial he says: Now
the Treaty is defeated, but by a
vote which shows that the bitter
enders' on the Republican side num-
Der but IA, and on the Democratic
side but one. leaving at least 80, or
16 more than are needed. for rati-
fication. Here is the "small mi
nority" of which Mr.. Taft is speak
ing. In this statement he is abso-
lutely correct. The Senate Committee
on Foreign Relations adopted and
reported four amendments" to. the
Treaty. These were all defeated by
the Senate by majorities ranging
from IL to so. The committee then
adopted and reported them as "res-
ervations," together with ten others.
These were all adopted by the
Senate.
But when the resolution of ratif-
cation came up for final action, in
cluding the reservations" it was
defeated. the vote being 39 in favor
and So in opposition. Then came the
vote for unconditional ratification,
and on this question So voted in the
affirmative and 38 in tie negative.
These votes indicate that there is a
SNiOiS III tiit oOheitc III
favor of the Treaty. And while 1t
is not ''small minority" opposing
unconditional ratification, neverthe-
less II is n small minority" which
is opposed to the Treaty in any form.
This Il may be reasonably assumed
Is true of the people of the United
States. The Senate probably docs
not so clearly represent the elec-
torate as does the House of Repre-
sentatives. but on this question of
the Treaty and the league of Ma
tions 1t Is reasonable to believe II
does. This may not be true of any
particular state The two Senators
representing PENNSYLVANIA voted for
ratification with reservations. and
against ratification without reserya-
tions. They doubtless represented
the people of the State quite well,
although not the entire electorate.
And this is doubtless true of most
of the other states. But 1t is only
a small minority" which would fol-
low Mr.. Knox, and vote to reject the
Treaty with or without amendments
or reservations. EUDIA.
Man Smoke in Other WdUs