The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-12
and desires Of more than twenty ma,

and desires of more than twenty ma
tons.
President Confident.
The president Is confident. His
private secretary was today bubbling
over with enthusiasm. Those re-
ceptions in New York and Washing
ton were wonderful" he said. To be
sure. the welcome In the national
capital was extraordinary. No ap-
peal had been made to the people to
come out to greet the president; no
advertising campaign had been car
ried on in advance. Even the hour
Of the presidents arrival was uncer-
tain. Yet the crowds waited until
nearly midnight. and broke into a
spontaneous cheer when the presi-
dent did come. Washington gave no
such welcome to her own troops who
came back from overseas.
Naturally, Mr.. Wilson Is inspired.
Still, the cheers came from the peo-
pie. Three blocks away from the
Union station, ninety-six senators
hold dominion. The democrats were
glad the president came back home.
They needed his leadership and slim
illus. Some of the republicans were
glad. too-they believed Mr.. Wilson
never should have gone to Europe,
but should have delegated the task
to somebody else. Still another group
of republican senators read Mr.. Will
sons opening speeches and smiled.
To them he seemed to have said the
same things he had expressed on
many an ccasion-"glitteripg gen.
eralities." There is a class in the
senate so much at odds with Mr..
Wilson that anything Mr.. Wilson
might say would fall on deaf II not
Indifferent ears. Their votes Mr.. Will
son knows are reachable only
through .heir respective constituent
cies-out in the United States, not in
Washington.
Series Of Personal Conferences.
Nevertheless the president will be-
gin at once series of personal con-
ferences with republicans, as well as
democrats, in an endeavor to use
every argument at his command to
persuade them to get behind the
league of nations. Now that the
treaty Of peace is written, Mr.. Will
son contends that the league is the
instrument by which the pledges
therein made will be preserved. To
ratify the treaty and discard the
league, in his opinion, Is tantamount
to building house and then knock
ing out the foundations which sus-
tain it. The two are intertwined, in
separable and indispensable. The
opposing senators are familiar with
the argument and are preparing to
meet 1t by pointing out to the people
of the United States the tremendous
responsibilities and embarrassments
involved in becoming member of
the league.
Predictions are not difficult to
make in the present situation, for the
senate republicans are just as eager
to follow public opinion as the demo-
Gratis ever were. Neither party would
run counter to public opinion very
long. But the republican senator's
don't think the people are behind Mr..
Wilson. If it should be demonstrated
that they are, the senate can turn
somersaults just as well as Mr.. Will
son. For awhile the republicans will
endeavor to have a reservation in
the peace treaty knocking out Arti-
Gle X of the league of nations which
would make America guarantee the
present boundaries of all nations
which sign the peace treaty. Mr..
Wilson will argue that this is the
kernel of the whole business-the
keystone of the structure.
II the People Are With Him.
If the people seem to be with him,
the senate will not insist. but before
any demonstration like that occurs,
an expression from the allied powers
as to what they would think If Amer
lea rejected Article X is calculated to
have an influential effect here. Res
ervations explaining the Monroe doc
trine will be insisted on by the re-
publicans. In the end these will prob
ably be accepted by Mr.. Wilson and
the allies too. The phraseology of
the ratifying resolution will be a
compromise and the allies in all
probability will signify in advance
their adherence to the text of the
resolution so that the senate will not
be in the position of prolonging the
negotiations. The situation may
prove full of contest, controversy and
friction, but it wouldn't be in the
least surprising if the storm were
short-lived and proved untrue to the
advance notices of hopeless disagree
ment between the executive and leg
islatiVe branches of the government