Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-09-10

THE PARTISAN VIEW


The narrow. partisan view taken of the peace treaty by
the Republican senators is forcibly brought out by a remark
made by Senator Spencer, Republican, of Missouri, In which
he declared that President Wilson must accept certain reser-
vations cor else his treaty will never be ratified"
This has led the New York World to comment as follows:
'"The mischievous spirit in which most of the Republican
senators are dealing with the treaty of peace could not be bet
ter illustrated than in the words used by the senator from Mis-
souri,, who is by no means the most partisan of them.
"They persist in regarding the treaty of peace as the
Presidents treaty and its ratification as a personal and poiltlcal
issue between them and the Chief Magistrate. In order to de-
feat the President they are ready to destroy the treaty, un-
mindful either of their responsibilities or the consequences of
their action.
epThis treaty is not President Wilson'S treaty, even though
he was SO i~niudicious in his organization of the peace commits
sion that he did not give the Republicans the representation 10
which they were entitled. 1t is the whole worlds treaty IL
affects the destinies of hundreds Of millions OF people. IL con-
trolls the lives of children who are yet unborn. tt is the basis
of the only peace there is any possibility OF attaining. IL al
fords the only means of re- establishing the political staDln'y
of q civilization that is in grave danger of crumbling under the
assaults of anarchy.
"It is President Wilson'S treaty only in the sense that he
helped to negotiate it, but one might as well call the Gonstltu-
lion of the United States George Washington's Constitution
because he presided over the convention that lraineu IL au
submitted it to the several states.
"Instead of dealing with this treaty as a treaty OF peace,
q majority of the Republican senators are trying to deal with 1T
as a personal recommendation from the President OF the unit
ed States of no more public Importance than the nomination u
q postmaster in the home town of a member OF congress. Al
though twenty-seven nations through their representatives,
signed the treaty, the only signature that these senators can see
is that of Woodrow Wilson. In seeking the defeat OF the Presl-
dent they are willing to afront all the other nations, to isolate
the United States, to lay the foundations of new wars and give
the world over to political and economical chaos.
.Tbere is no element of discomfort to which they have
not appealed. There is no element OF hyphenated American
ism for whose support they have not bid. Hidebound reaction
aries gladly Join hands with Bolshevism, pro-Germanlsm and
I. w. Wism in common cause against the treaty OF peace 1or
no better reason than that it is his treaty. and this unholy
alliance then has the impudence to pose as a super-patrlotsm
protecting the super-rights of a super-Americanism
.The action of the senate on this treaty will be making
history long after President Wilson Is dead, long after every
senator is dead, long after the generation that fought the war
has passed forever from the scene. What the Republican SEN
ators are trifing with is not the political fortune OF President
Wilson, for no mans political fortune counts for anything at
this time. They are trifing with the fate of the world, with
the blood Of 1000, 900 men whose lives were sacrificed that
peace might again be established, and with 5000, 900, OO0,0 900
in human labor that was swallowed up in this gigantic catas7
trophe. Yet all they see in the final act OF this stupendous
tragedy is the opportunity for a political quarrel with the Pres
ident of the United States over a treaty OF peace that is to be
segarded simply as his treaty and dealt with accordingly"