New Britain herald., 1919-03-12
CUMMINGS SCORES
 i. Q. ?. FILIBUSTER
Democratic Leader Says lmpor-
 tant Matters Are Held Up


 cratic national committee sPeak'hs
 today concerning recent polltlcal
 events, said: ,.-
 ''Congress adjourned on the ath
 uf March while q republican tl1bus-
 ter against pending Legislation "a0
 still in progress. This method ot de
 fcating Legislation has been so oltel'
 mis1tscd in the senate that the "oi"
 '1ilihuster' has become obnoX1ouS to
 thc n,Iblic This particular flibuster Nas especially offensive and lnJurlous'
 U prevented action upon many pend
 ing measures essential to Amerlcah
 hilsineSs and necessary to the pollcE
 of reconstruction. Amongst lheSe
 hilIs were the Lease Bill, the Home
 stead Bill, tbc appropriations neces-
 aary for demobilzation, the bull pro-
 viGinc for an army of 50O,O00 men,
 the Water Power Bill and, the ap-
 Dropriution of $75O,0OO,0O0 required
 for the rrTper Opcrati ton of the rail
 rnads It was the business of the
 senate to pass upon these measures. The senate abdicated it's functions, de cined to consider the most pressing of national needs and wasted precious
 moments in violent political abuse and vehement opposition to the league
 of nations. The senate may be strong
 in protest but it is weak in perform lnce. It neglected it's own duty to i point out the supposed dereIictions of the president and defects in a peace treaty which has not yet been com plcted and which is not before the senate for it's considcra ton. The sen- ate has small hold upon popular favor and this last performance has not improved it's standing.
 There are two classes of senators who are unfricndly to the taEuo of nations, those who frankly and l openly oppose it and those who op- | pose it coveredly. The former pos
 sessins a curious kind of obstinate l courage, are bold and defiant in their
 attitude; the latter, less courageous ] but probably moro adroit, express an
 unctuous approval of the idea and
 conlinc their objections to the par I ticular plan proposed, without, how I ever, offering a better one of their T own. Both classes of senators have
 the same object in view. They desire
 to make impossible the creation of a T league of nations. The difference | exists only in the method of attack. T No one who, in his heart of hearts, ! desires the creation of a league of nations has any hesitaney in giving V to inc president hearty and sympa- .l thctic support. Mr. Taft. for in | stance. would no doubt have framed ,' the proposed league somewhat diff | ferently if he were preparing the doc. | ument himself; but he is big enough i to realize that the present draft Is a composite structure framed after
 the fullest consideration by the rep,
 rcsentatives of many different na- if ror If hn Cly n1 ! expected. Practical results, however,
 can be achieved; and MT. Taft is
 lcnsug his whole hearted support to
 he efforts of the peace commiSsi on
 to prepare a satisfactory treaty. Tho
 opposition senators, however. havc
 no such breadth of view. Under the
 leadership of Lodge, Pcnrose and
 Knox, they have united in a round
 robin announcement against the
 pending plan. There is no difficulty in
 understanding their motives. They
 are actuated, in part, by a settled
 dislike for President Wilson and all his works; and, in part, by a fixed
 purpose to embarrass tho president
 and to weaken his influence at home
 and abroad. If this maneuver could, ! ny any chance. be successful, it would throw the peace conference into con- l !uHlOn. destroy all nope Ol SStdDl1Sn-
 ing a league.' of nations and postpone
 peace and demo obilization indefinitely.
 Those who assent to so desperate a
 political device assume a heavy re.
 sponsibilitM The ill-considered talk
 about a peace treaty first and 3
 league of nations afterwards is per-
 svuasive onle with those who do not
 understand the problems involved
 such a po1icybwould postpone an ef-
 fective league for generations and it
 would reduce the treaty to a mere
 scrap of paper to be torn to tattera ihe moment international interests came into conflict with each other The breakup of empires, the strug. Gling into national life of subm erged , peoples, the establishment of new
 republics, the creation of buffet , states on the old line between Berlin ! and Bagdad, the rise and spread o1 Bolshevism, the dslocation of indus m try upon scale hitherto unknown the impoverished condition of many , nations and the existence of famine over vast areas of territory, have created new and extraordinary diff culties. All civilization is today upor an unsafe and unstable basis.
 There is only one force left whicl
 men can summon to steady society and restore and maintain politica equilibrium. A league of nations is
 in very truth, the hope of the world If America merely makes peace witf Germany and withdraws from inter = national affairs Europe will fall into chaos. Bolshcvism will be given q new impetus. The new states vii war with each other and interna- tional intrigue will again be at work s The weak peoples, with unstable gov. ; ernments, would be forced to form Q an alliance with their nearest anc . strongest neighbor; Germany would v have a free hand in Russia and the , l Balkans; new balances of power g 1 xyo,7Id crpatpd and in feyy years