The Semi-weekly leader., 1919-04-09
THAT LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

President Wilson gave 1t out that
the league Of nations plan must be
accepted as shaped by the confer
ence. Reports now say that he has
been forced to change his uncon-
promising attitude and that he Is
willing to'have the covenant amend
ed so as to meet the objections Of
sincere critics who have called it un-
certain in terms and dangerous In its
possibilities.
President Taft continues to be
one of the leading advocates Of the
league. He says there is mo trap
In it" and that it is the best thing
in sight. He condemns the language
employed as verbose and eQuivocal
and he assures the country that the
covenant will be properly amended
before 1t is submitted for final rati-
fication. But even with no changes
at all 1t should be accepted, he
thinks.
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts,,
Republican, had joint debate
on the issue in Boston with Presi-
dent Lowell of Harvard, who de-
scribed himself as IAN inconsistent
Republican" DR.. Lowell admitted
that the present plan is very defec-
tive in its drafting and easily mis-
understood, but the opponents of
the league were setting up imagi-
nary scarecrows when they con-
demned it as hostile to American in
stitutions.
Senator Lodge states that he
would approve the league plan II
it was amended to make 1t certain
and safe. He arraigned the presi-
dent for refusing to seek the "ad-
vice" of the senate which the con-
stitution provides for and which
Washington, Jackson, Grant, Lin
coin and other presidents had sought
in difficult cases. 1t is President
Wilson's duty to call the Senate to-
gether, he said, and then the treaty
would be ratified in short order, II
suitably safe-guarded.
Though leaders of both the big po-
litical parties protest that the league
is not a partisan matter, there are
many that are trying to play politics
with it. This is dangerous scheme
and the result of it is that both par
ties are being more or less broken
I'M over this new issue.
Senator Reed, Of Missouri, Demo
crat, is one of the iercest opponents
of the league. Speaking before the
state legislature he denounced the
presidents plan as delivering this
country over to the control Of Eng
land. 1t will be necessary, he said,
to hold a referendum of the people
on the subject, as the Senate will
not ratify any such anti-American
scheme. He quoted from addresses
of President Wilson repeating Wash
Iington's warning against alliances
with any nations, but this sound doc
trine was now to be thrown over
board, he said.
Cromwell Gibbons, ex-speaker OF
the Florida house and leading
Southern Democrat, comes out in a
statement declaring that the league
is too British and too undemocratic
to suit Americans. Senator Knox oi
Pennsylvania, Republican, makes
public a letter from Texas Demo
crat saying: IF what President
Wilson stands for is Democracy, then
1 am no longer a Democrat; the Re-
publican party stands for real Dem
locracy and true Americanism."
The biggest political sensation OF
this sort recently is an announce
ment from former U. S. Senator JOS
eph w. Bailey, of Texas, who was
long one of the most prominent Dem
ocrats in the country, declaring that
| he is through with the Democratic
party. He had been a collar Demo
crat" all his life, he says, but the
party under its present leadership
had abandoned all its time-honored
principles and he is going to sever
relations with it. He declared that
the administration had loaded the
country with unnecessary Offices and
taxes; poured out the peoples mon
ey like water, after promising econ
omies; made "a scrap of paper" OF
the constitution and placed unheard-
of restrictions and burdens on every
body.
1t has been whispered that Presi-
dent Wilson is not expecting to run
for third term and that he has
"other fish to fry. The supposition
is that he expects to be president OF
the league of nations.