New-York tribune., 1919-12-21

Compromise ON
League May
Result

~HE unrest and open revolt
Of Democratic Senators
against the Presidents
policy touching the peace
+r,sty have been echoed throughout
NE country The Democratic press
10. criticized Mr.. Wilson severely
.or the announcement upon the
highest authority that "he has no
compromise or concession of any
lind In his mind" Partisanship is
running so high in the editorial COL
umns Of the country that this rebel
lion against the President seems all
the more impressive.
Eren "The World"
Even "The New York World"
which has been the most extrava-
rant supporter of the President in
the treaty fight, says of the Presi-
dents announcement, in the course
Of long editorial damning the Re
publican Senator'S in general and
Senator Lodge in particular
although Senator Lodges remarks In
vlt.d that kind Of response, 1t cannot
b said that the President displayed
rood txct or good Judgment in his
answer. So much snimosity has been
developed In the discussion Of the
treaty that there can be NO excuse for
siding to it, whatever the provocation."
A fair statement of the Demo-
cratic view is the following from
AThe New York Evening Post" (Ind.
DEM, which represents also large
mass Of independent opinion, in urg-
!ng action and an end of recrim-
nation:
4 Political Sndrl
when II Is stated, in the name Of
the President, that he purposes to leave
With the Republican leaders Of the
Senate the undivided esponsibility for
the fate Of the treaty and the present
condition OF the world in consequence,
the question Of fact at once forces II
self forward 1t may be good politics,
subtle tactics, 10 assert that the Re
publicans are solely responsible for the
mess, but is it true? There have been
errors and understanding on both
sides. Il Is plain now that the Presi-
dent was partly misled by Senator
Hitchcock at the time of the voting in
the Senate The parliamentary situs-
ticn did not turn out to be what the
Nebraska Senator thought 1t would be.
av Tas not allowed to make his real
compromise proposals. And 1t is prob
re, too, that there was miscalculation N
on the part OF the Republican leaders.
Senator Lodge was seemingly confident
that many Democratic Senators would
vote for his resolution Of ratification
with reservations Wilson'S letter to
Hitchcock blocked that. Then in q
burst Of partisan petulance the doors
we're for the time locked against COM
promise. But il is pretty cool to main
tain that for this any one man or one
party must shoulder the undivided re-
tponsibility. The treaty got knotted
up In political snarl, and the business
nov In hand is to extricate it, not TO
distribute blame or call names.
"The plain truth is that the coun-
try is not at present much interested
in fixing the responsibility for getting
the Treaty into g tangle. This was
torcibly stated in the report Of the
New YORK Chamber of Commerce. The
search for responsibility has now an
air OF futllIty. 1t leads only to angry
recrlminations and to making tho
deadlock tighter. The demand of the
hour is, as the Chamber Of Commerce
puts 1t, that the leaders on both sides
aeI not Ike apoiled children, but as
sensible men, and by mutual conces-
slons' arrive at an agreement for that
fstihcation Of the treaty which the
couhtr! snxiously desires To stand
Oh ceremony too long; to insist that
'ne others must begin to be reasonable
0sfore ws will consent to be; to main
aln an appearance Of resolving never
70 yield, although = plan of adjustment
"oulo VIGOROUSLY be welcomed-this
not the attitude OF grown men, to
'Ay nothing Of wise statesmen"
Irogicoiiy M.Judged
The point Of view of a Republi-
can paper with independent lean
'ngs, which has been a fervent sup
porter Of the league, is we'll ex.
pressed IN the following declaration
W The Philadelphia Public
Ledger:
surely tho professional politician.
~'oee the statement on behalf OF the
f'es'dent-as they are rumored te
lave written his tragically ill-judgee
appeal prior to tho last Congyessiona
eiections for Democratic votes. At tn,
present threatening crisis in the Affairs
~ humanity 1t cannot be that tn,
resident is thinking so exclusively O.
w entertaining little game of chess
WIN MIS- partisan playmates. The sor