The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-25
Republicans Assume All
Blame For TreatyR
Lodge More Firm Than Ever After His Conference With
Hays-Further Reductions in Ocean Rates
Coal May Be Secured
BY HUGH W. ROBERTS

| lican national committee. comes 10
Washington. consults with senator
Lodge. and announces that the repub-
| lean party will assume responsibility
for the action of the Senate majority
which put the peace treaty in coma
tose state.
Senator Lodge declares his anxiety
that the people be given an opportu-
nifty to express their approval or their
| disapproval"
Just what has transpired to cause
/ the republicans to face about is not
the final session of the Senate they
denied that they had killed the
Treaty They charged the democrats
reservations, with the responsibility
for the postponement of the peace of
the world.
The declaration of Hayes and Lodge,
however. proves that which democrats
throughous the treaty fight repeated
ly charged. The republicans from the
beginning. had laid plans to destroy
the treaty-chiefly because it was the
child of woodrow Wilson's brain,
and democratic asset. But through
out the long parliamentary battle. the
republicans constantly denied. Senator
| Lodge, as matter or fact. declared
that il the democrats did not accept
the Lodge reservations. they would
kill the treaty" and must, for their
! conduct, appear in deep humility before
I the people of the country.
This statement caused Senator In
derwood to tear the hypocritical band
age from about the eyes of the repub-
lican leader. The Albanian said:
THE republican party. being in
majority is responsible for legislation
or lack of legislation in this chamber.
| The country knows this side of the
l-aisle desires the treaty intact, with
| out amendment or reservation. The
country knows that side wants to de-
stroy the treaty, and has plotted to
that end from the very beginning.
You cannot go to- the country with
such a simulated issue that the demo-
| Gratis killed the treaty. The democratic
party. on its treaty record. is willing to
face the people. The republican party
| on it's treaty record. is not
AT this time. Senator Lodge made
| no answer. Since, however, he has
conferred with Hays and obtained his
cue Inasmuch as he repeats his state
ment that the democrats must accept
\ the reservations suffer- for the
f, treaty to remain in it's present condi-
ton, and inasmuch as he leads the ma
j jority column in thu Senate, the odds
| are that the treaty, in some of its
| phases. will be an issue in the election
\ next year
| There is no question" said Senator
| Underwood. just prior to his departure
1 for Alabama, "butathsIt the republicans
from the very beginning planned the
death of the treaty. BY proposed
| amendments and reservations, they at
tempted to destroy the force of the
i treaty without rejecting the treaty it,
self But it was evident that their
purpose was the defeat of the treaty"
The senator declared the last days
session one purely of partisan poll
| tics.
| ut was like the old days in the
House said he. when the lines were
faulty drawn, and neither side asked
| for or offered mercy. In the SEN
ate, on the last day. the lines were
| drawn. 1t was impossible to move an
| inch in either direction. 1t was the
republican game to destroy the treaty
and make it appear that the demo-
Gratis were responsible. 1t was the
democratic game to present the situa-
| tiorTas it actually was--that the dem
| ocras wanted the treaty as it was orgi-
nally prepared, and that the republic
ans, by their tactics, made ratifica-
| ton impossible