Omaha daily bee., 1919-10-22
Spilliag the Beaass
From the Chicago Tribune.

We certainly owe the Hon. John Sharp
Williams member Of the United States senate
from Mississippi, something. Just what we do
not know. ProbablS bean, white enameied
navy bean, suitably set in white gold, symbol
of the ability of the Hon. Mr.. Williams to spill
the beans.
As, spiler Mr.. Williams would not be
oyerworked by all the crop which could be put
in sacks in year. His candor hit the complex
of our present national life and, behold. it was
all as clear as mud.
L We discover, as Mr.. Williams wildly ad-
dresses the senate. Southern-American in the
course of debate as to whether Japan should
have part of China. damning Irish-Americans
who had been writing him to the effect that
England should not hold Ireland under the
words resolution from the Confederate Vet
erans' association applauding the ant-Ameri-
can covenant of the league of nations and de-
manding that the United States, which they had
fought to dissolve, accept this covenant which
might more ef;ectually dissolve it than anything
they had been able to accomplish.
Then we discover Irish il-Americans in the
senate eager to bite chunks out OF the southern
American and the Hon. Senator Phelan endeav-
oring to remind the Hon. Mr.. Williams Of his
Welsh ancestry by telling him that the gates
of the Dublin race course were locked between
races to keep "Welshers" from escaping.
All this did not restore Shantung to the Chi
nese that issue being the then prevailing issue
before the American senate, but it ought to
have caused the Statue OF Liberty to try to
shake the shimmy.
We thank the Hon Mr. Williams in the first
place for amusement. We thank him for get
ting over on the republican side before he began
his now celebrated speech. That put him out
of the immediate reach Of his startled demo-
cratic colleagues who saw the whole Irish vote
going blooie for 1890
It gave us the picture Of Senator Hitchcock,
as appalled, as frightened vestryman, trying to
stalk and shush Mr. Williams and finding Mr..
Williams as shushable as a wild ass in an al
falfa field.
We thank Mr.. Williams for some serious
thoughts. Here was Southern-American, as
hyphenate as the hyphen can make diversion
of natonalism, damning the Irish who have
fought for freedom and who did help conquer
the south. damning them because they did have
something to do with the suppression of slavery
in this land. demanding in the name Of the men
slavery that the union, which was preserved in
spite Of them be subordinated to an nterna-
tional council which could override the Amer
ican constitution, supporting the provision
which makes Chinese the virtual slaves OF the
Japanese, damnng the men who want liberty
for the Irish, and doing it all in the name of
altruism and Amercanism,
These are getting to be some United States,
in which every cause has an orator except the
American cause, in which every flag has con-
gressional defender except the American nag,
and every nation a propaganda except the
American nation.
We demand not six but hundred votes in
the assembly of the league of nations, one for
each of the states and the rest for the remain
der of the world which we represent to better
purpose than we do our own nation.
What, returning to amusement, must make
Mr. Hitchcock and his fellow statesmen Of JEFF
ferson persuasion mad enough to eat nails is
the thought that the fight was in the interest Of
the Japanese, who could not deliver town
ward to the democratic party, and the talk was
against the Irish, who may take one or two
away.