The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-06-21
Senate Has a Joyous Week With
Peace Treaty, Getting Best
of Mr.. Wilson.
OBTAINS COPY OF THEspAcT
Knox Starts Fight to Divorce II From
League of Nations Covenant
Huns Given Five Days to Sign
Austria Going BoIshevik.
BY EDWARD w. PIckARD,

The United States senate had a gala
week. 1t put one over" on President
Wilson by obtaining a copy of the
peace treaty for which 1t had vainly
asked the chief executive; it investi-
gated a so-called leak of the treaty,
to the avowed satisfaction of the diff
ferent factions; and it started pro-
ceedings designed to force the separa-
ton of the league of nations covenant
from the peace pact. So a lovely time
was had by all
When a correspondent of Chicago
paper handed his copy of the treaty
which he had just brought from Eu-
rope, to the foreign relations commit
tee, Senator Borah promptly present
ed it to the senate with the statement
that copies were in general circula-
ton in European countries and the
request that it be printed in the Con
gressional Record as a senate docu-
ment. Unanimous consent being re-
fused, the printing was ordered by a
vote of AZ to "A. There ensueal a live
ly debate in which Senator Hitchcock,
minority leader accused the majority
of playing Germany's game by making
the treaty public, since up to then
the German government was the only
one that had taken such action and
that it did 1t for the purpose of get
ting better terms. Norris, Smith.
Brandegee, Ashurst, Poindexter and
others made indignant rejoinder. 1t
was a pretty scrap while it lasted,
but the administration supporters
were beaten to standstill and the
government printers were put to work
on the job. BY the next morning
every congressman was in possession
Of copy of the treaty as it stood
when it was handed to the Germans.
The satisfaction of the majority
may have been lessened by the adj
mitted fact that they learned little
from the full copy which the official
summary had not already told them.
In view Of this, and Of the undenied
fact that copies of the treaty have
been plentiful in Europe for some
weeks, it is hard to see in what way
the possession of the document by
congress will hamper the work of the
peace conference or why President
Wilson was so insistent on keeping
1t from America. The London press,
commenting on the affair." lamented
that parliament also had not insisted
on having the full text of the treaty.
The foreign relations committees
investigation of the alleged leak" of
the treaty text into the hands of finan-
ciers of New York was interesting
but brief. Elihu Root appeared vol
unfairly and said he showed to Sena-
tor Lodge the copy the latter had ex-
amined. 1t was given him by Henry
P. Dawson of Morgan & Co. Mr..
Dawson testified that it was given to
nm NY 1lOindS w. LdlHODl, dlSU
Morgan partner now representing the
treasury in Paris, and that he OBJ
tanned 1t because he, as chairman of
the international Red Cross league,
was especially interested In the finan-
cial terms, and also because, as an
international banker, he was deeply
concerned in probable plans to mobll-
ize the financial and industrial inter-
ests of this country to put Europe on
its feet again. J. P. Morgan and
Frank Vanderbilt said they never had
seen copies Of the document.
Mr.. Root was questioned at length
concerning the ethics Of the, affair,
from his point Of view. He resented
the idea that he was In possession Of
"stolen property" and said he thought
Mr.. Dawson was entitled to have the