The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-13
Is the Senate Entitled to the Peace
CONGRESSES Story?


stood that the Senate's constitutional
right to know all about the treaties It
must ratify was thus being insured.
If Senator HITCHCoCK had been
member of the present delegation In
Paris there would be no serious
doubt of the Senate's getting a pretty
satisfactory understanding OF the
peace arrangement, the compromises
It represented, the atmosphere In
which the negotiations were carried
on and the implications involved In II.
True, Mr.. HTrCHcocK u intensely par
tisan to the League of Nations idea,
having landed on that side after long
and grave contemplation and just in
advance of the Inauguration of a
Presidential boomlet for himself as
the Wilson choice; but it Is unneces-
sary to suspect that any bias on a
Senator's part would greatly hamper
his ninety-five colleagues in their ef-
forts to learn the facts.
Seemingly the Senate is to get
minimum Of information about the
treaty soon to be placed before 1t;
the genesis. justification and posi-
Bile diplomatic Specification Of many
features. Senator BRANDEGEE and
Colonel GEORGE HARVEY have been
double-teaming for several weeks in
the effort to secure publicity for the
rejected League of Nations drafts
that were presented at Paris. but
, they have been sadly unsuccessful.
The President told his White House
dinner party that four drafts were
presented. including one by the Amer
adopted. The news in this was alto
gether in the statement that other
drafts than the British had been sub
mitted. Further, when asked If the
Senate might see the rejected drafts,
the President saw no reason why they
should be withheld.
That was construed as n promi Sc
that the other drafts would be trans
mitted willingly and frankly to the
Senate. But they didn't appear, and
the Democratic members of the For
eign Relations Committee seemed in
disposed to press inquiries at the
White House or State Department.
Senator BRANDEGEE, in reply to
whose question the President had In.
| dicated that the documents could be
produced. hns certainly been jealous
| in his quest. The persistent unwill.
ingness or actual inability of the
State Department to give the Senator
the documents or any satisfaction
about them suggests to the Senatorial
mind that perhaps like policy Is to
be pursued when the treaty. League
and all. is laid before the ratifyinG
| authority.
Parliaments and peoples were not
! presumed to have much concern with
doings of the Congress of Vienna. and
the story of that historic gathering
has been oOzing out from public and
private documents, letters, memoirs
ever since. 1t must be said that. as
for the present Peace Conference at
Paris. the century's development OF
instrumentalities for publicity has
been pretty we'll Offset by the unex
ampled effectiveness Of the snuffer
that has been put on journalistic eff.
fort. How much record has beer
made. especially Of the most impor'
tant transactions, is not announced
but the understanding seems TO bt
that there will be practically no pub
lie record of the discussions in those
intimate conferences where the mo-
mentOus decisions were reached.
The Senate will want, and need
and be entitled to. everything neces
sary to full understanding OF the
treaty. 1t is entitled TO everything
the President has or knows about tn,
evolution and backgrounds of the pro
posed pact. II is not only entitled t
all this; It is under obligation Il
know 1t. 1t would he derelict in IL
constitutionally imposed duty If 1
accepted n single clause without full
est assurance that it understood ever!
bearing and implication of that clause
We have come to the point wher
these great duties and responsible
ties of the Senate must now be real
ICED not only by the public but by tn
Senate itself. Coming to that point
we understand more clearly thai
heretofore the embarrassing conse
quences that flow from the Presi
dents leadership and complete dom
ination Of the American delegation
) at Paris and from the fact that tn
Senate was not represented.
1t may fairly be assumed, and mus
be until the contrary is proved, tina
i. the President has no wish to concea
anything from the Senate that 4
necessary to Its comprehension Of tn
treaty. True, the President SCENE,
rather contemptuous of the Senat
when he announced his purpose TO In
, terwenve peace terms ana League cove
nant so incXtricably that they coul,
, not he separated. He seemed TO def
the Senate to disagree with him abou
? anything relating to the compact
Nevertheless 1t Is impossible TO beliey