The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-11-28
LEAGUE TO BE
ISSUE IN 1920
No Settlement Likely BY New
Congress Which Meets
December 1
G. o. P. MAY BE DIVIDED
Other Nations Expected To Go
Ahead and Set Up League
Without u. S.
(BY HARRY B. HuNT.l


in the League of Nations is to be made
the chief issue in the presidential and
senatorial campaign of 1920.
That is assured as result of the
rejection by the senate of the peace
treaty and of the league covenant as
qualified by the Lodge reservations
There will be no settlement of the
league issue in the new session of
congress which convenes December /.
Same Old Committee, Bossed by
Lodge.
The senate of the new session will
be exactly the same senate which re-
jected the treaty and covenant, and
the committee on foreign relations,
which will have charge of the treaty
should the president resubmit it at the
new session, will be the identical
committee, under the leadership OF
Lodge. which SO engineered the treaty
through the last session as to cause
it's defeat apparently by it's friends.
Republicans controlling the senate
will not permit the treaty to monopo-
1ze the time of the new session. Hav-
ing spent the entire time of the special
session on the treaty, they will turn
in the new session to domestic issues
telling the country that those are the
things now of the most Importance,
and will attempt to put through a pro-
gram of domestic legislation on which
they can base much of their fight in
the 1920 campaign.
Will Be PiseonhoIed and Left to
Gather Dust.
The peace treaty, if resubmitted by
President Wilson, will be pigeonholed
by the committee and left to gather
dust.
Probably the first step of the new
q xusl Ia 10
tablish condition of peace, by the en-
actment of both houses, which declared
war. of a concurrent resolution de-
claring war at an end.
Supporters of the treaty, however
who believe participation of the
United States in the League of Nations
to the matter of first Importance to
the safety and future welfare of the
United States and the world, will car
ry the fight to the country in an eff
fort to elect to the Senate next fall
sufficient number of new members
pledged to the league to make possi-
bic it's acceptance in 1921.
Thirty-two senator's, or one-third
of that body's membership will be up
for re election next fall.
Fifteen Republican Seats to Be
Filled.
OF this number, Is are Republicans.
They are:
Brandegee, of Connecticut;
Cummins, of Iowa;
Curtis, of Kansas;
Dillingham;, of Vermont;
Gronna, of North Dakota;
Harding, of Ohio;
Jones, of Washington;
Lenroot, of Wisconsin;
Moses of New Hampshire;
Penrose, of Pennsylvania;
Sherman. Of Illinois;
Smoot, of Utah;
Spencer, of Missouri;
Wadsworth, of New Pork;
Watson, of Indiana.
If the Democrats retained ali their
present representation and defeated
every one of these Is Republicans
they would still lack two of the nee
sary two thirds vote to put through
the league on a strictly party vote
There are now Al Democratic senator's
The additional Is would give them
only 81, while Sd votes would be re-
quired for ratification.
Four of the present Democratic
members, however-Gore, Smith of
Georgia, Walsh of Massa chusetts, and
Shields-voted with the Republicans
in the action that defeated the treaty
at the recent session. There is no
hope, therefore, of the election of
senate. which, without changes in the
views of the holdover members, would
ratify the league covenant even in the
sixty seventh Congress.
"Mild Reservationists'' Might Swing
Over.
Should the results, however, show
that the people of the United States
believe this nation should enter the
league, and assume it's part of the
burden of maintaining world peace
there is little doubt but that the bolt
ing Democrats and enough of the mild
reservationist' Republicans (who, by
the way, were not mild reservation
lists" when the treaty came to a vote)
would swing into line to permit ratifi-
cation.
In the meantime. will the League
of Nations become a working force
without the participation of the United
States2 All four of the other princi-
pals associated in the war against
Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy
and Japan have ratified the treaty and
the league, except in the case of
France these notifications have not yet
been deposited at Paris. as is neces-
sary before becoming effective.
way.
1t is suggested that the refusal of
the United States, which assumed
leadership in drafting the league cove
nant, to come in under its provisions.
may result In the final formalities nee
essary for the organic ltion OF that
body being withheld by the nations
nm 2-Continued on Pane TMo1