Omaha daily bee., 1919-05-27
HITCHCOCK
and REED.
ON.
COVENANT.
Nebraska Senator Accused of
Losing Temper; Knox Sug-
gests Reading Of Treaty
Before Discussion.

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 senators sup
porting it and developed a running
debate colored by dramatic accusa-
tions and heated retorts. The Mis-
souri, senator declared the league
would place the destinies of the
white race in the hands of ignorant
and superstitious nations of black
and yellow populations, and charged
that many democrats were support
ing it for partisan reasons
In frequent Interruptions of Sen
ator Reeds speech, Senator Hitch
cock of Nebraska, ranlNng democrat
of the foreign relations committee,
insisted that the premises for these
charges were false and that the infer
ences drawn were unfair and dan
gerous. He drew in turn reply
from Senator Knox, republican, of
Pennsylvania, who suggested that
supporters of the league covenant
should read it before they discussed
it.
Called to Order.
So heated did the exchanges be-
come at. one point that the chair
raped for order and Senator Reed
declared that Senator Hitchcock had
"lost his temper"
The measure which brought the
league issue before the senate was
the resolution of Senator Johnson,
republican, requesting from the
State department the full text Of
the peace treaty. There was no at
tempt to reach vote on the resolu-
ton and it went over again as un-
finished business, to come up when
the senate reconvenes Wednesday.
Race Question Involved.
Without speaking directly on the
Johnson resolution, Senator Reed
made a general attack on the cove
nant itself as a proposal to hand
ever control of the white race and
the civilized world to an assembly
of nations where a majority always
could be brought together on any
race question in opposition to white
supremacy. He declared support of
the plan never could be explained at
home by senators from the south.
with its negro problem, or from the
west, with its Chinese and Japanese
problems. Turning dramatically to
his democratic colleagues. he con-
tinued:
'If republican president had
brought it here-if Roosevelt had
brought it here-there isn't demo-
crat that wouldn't have been stand
ing by my side fighting to the last
ditch to rescue the country from so
monstrous and so cruel a thing"
Names Countries.
AS the nations where white blood
does not predominant, the senator
named Liberia, Haiti, Hedjas, Pan
anna, Honduras. Nicaragua, Guate-
mala, Ecuador, Cuba, Bolivia, Peru,
Brazil, South Africa, Siam, India,
China and Japan. In these coun-
tries, he asserted, the average of
illiteracy was IS per cent and he
quoted extensively from reference
works to show that many of them
were overrun with superstition.
While the Missouri senator was
assailing the league in the senate,
Representative Madden, republican,
of Illinois, made a speech CRITICS.
ing it in the house and declaring the
American people never could min
gle on equal terms with the peoples
of Europe. No general debate de-
veloped, however.
When the Johnson resolution
comes up in the senate Wednesday
Senator Robinson, democrat, of Ar
kansas, expects to open debate with
a speech supporting the league.