Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-09-22
QUITTING THE TRAIL

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That Senator Johnson, who set out to trail the President
in an effort to answer the Presidents arguments in behalf OF
the League of Nations, should suddenly decide that he could
accomplish more at Washington than he could out on the ros-
trum facing the people, is not surprising. TO thus abandon
his tour before it is half over is only another indication of its
failure and emphasizes the success of the Presidents appeal
Besides, with the President on the stump he is free to en-
ter into any argument on the subject in which he is interested.
It is different when he is in the White House. The senators
know this and that is the reason they hate to see the President
start out on such a tour as he is now making.
When a senator arises on the floor Of the senate chamber
and proceeds to juggle facts and state only half truths, ne IS
able to get away with it as far as the President is concerned,
for the President cannot enter into the senate debate. But
when a senator takes to the road in the wake of the President
and proceeds to juggle with facts in the same manner, the
President can show up his fallacies so quickly that it makes
the senator's head swim and this is just the trouble with SEN
ator Johnson on his present outing, causing him to abandod
the trail and 'beat it, back to Washington.
Senator johnson, as far as he went on his Inflated jour-
ney, laid great stress upon the fact that the British Empire had
six votes to one of the United States. The senator took pains
not to point out the distinction between the assembly and the
council of which the League Of Nations is composed. That
would open the peoples eyes as to the matter OF votes ana IL
would cause his argument against the league to fall to pieces,
That which Senator Johnson tried to hide, the President
has brought out as light as day. The League of Nations is
made up of the council and the assembly. The council, MT.
Wilson points out, originates all action while the assembly is
ga debating and not an executive BODY moreover, 1t is not
even an independent voting body. In explaining the difference
the President says;
"In. every matter on which the assembly can
vote along with the council, it is necessary that all
the nations represented on the council should concur
in the affirmative vote to make it valid; SO that IN
every vote, no matter how many votes are cast in
the assembly, 1t is necessary, in order for the vote in
the council to become valid, that the United States
should vote aye"
While it is the council, in which the United States and
Great Britain have one vote each and only one vote, that has the
say i'm the management of the league, what can be the objec-
tion to the people of Canada, or of Australia, or ofNew Zealand
or of India, or of South Africa having a vote in the assembly?
The millions of people in these vast dominions are as much en-
titled to a vote in theassembly as are the handful OF people who
make up the republic of Panama or the republic Of Cuba, both
dominated, as far as foreign policy is concerned, by the United
States. The British dominions mentioned are, to all lntents
and purposes, self governing. Only in the matter of foreign
affairs do they look to the mother country. And even here
they have their differences.
Take the Japanese question, for instance-the Shantung
affair. if you please-and although Great Britain had an ALI
ance with Japan before the war, Australia has her exclusion
laws against the yellow peril, y which were even more drastic
than those of the United States. When California fared up
against the invasion of the Japanese, Vancouver and the west
ern part of Canada was just as bitter as was California, and the
people of Canada would have joined more readily with the peo-
pple of California in fighting the Asiatics than they would have
stood steadfast to Great Britain had the latter attempted to
defend the japanese.
AS a matter of fact, Great Britain has more to lose in Civ
Ag her dominions representation in the assembly of the
League of Nations than anyone else, for in so doing she recog-
aizes their full sovereignty as separate nations.
By so clearly pointing out the difference between the
council Of the League of Nations and the assembly, the people
IRE able to see clear through the tangle that the opponents of
Che league like to make of the whole affair. Unable to longer
deceive his audience, Senator Johnson, rather than face the
people of his own state, returns ANONYMOUSLY to Washington
thus ending the much heralded tour that was to undo all that
The President has accomplished in laying the facts before the
people of the nation.
There is only one thing left for the senate to do and that
is to ratify the treaty without further delay in order that the
peace may be restored and the world settle down once more to
business and commerce.