Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1919-09-11
Senator Hitchcock so Character
I ICES Senator Knox's Attack
on the Peace Treaty.
INSANE FOREIGN POLICY
Amendment or Defeat Of the Treaty
Would Be Commercial and Finan-
ciaI Disaster for America,
Says Nebraska Senator.

able or unreasonable, mean the de- |
feat Of the treaty, with all its disas- |
trous consequences, Senator Hitchcock /
of Nebraska made a powerful speech
in the senate today urging that the
treaty be ratified without delay and
without amendment.
Referring to the recent speech of
Senator McCumber, Republican, Of
North Dakota, who voted against the
Shantung amendment in the foreign
relations committee, Senator. Hitch
cock said:
"He has shown that the PROPOSED
deprives her of the benefit of the
promises and concessions the United
States has exacted from Japan. He
has shown that Japan is already in
possession Of the German rights, priv
ileges and leaseholds. He has ALSO
shown that Great Britain and France
are under pledge, to Japan to stand by
her in her claim, and he has chal-
lenged the supporters of the proposed
amendment to show how China can
possibly be benefited unless when we
reject Japan's promises we propose
to so to war with her and drive her
out Of Shantung for the benefit of
China.
II think the senator from North
Dakota co%nclusively demonstrated the
folly of the proposed amendment as
far as it concerns China and the dan
ger hat it involved to the United
States"
Senator Hitchcock then explained
the inevitable results if the senate
should vote in favor of the Shantung
amendment or any other. He said
that one of two things would happen
either the president would refuse to
go further with the treaty or he
would have to submit the amendment
to the nations associated with the
United States in the war.
Does anyone believe" asked the
senator, chat the other nations would
accept the Shantung amendments"
He pointed out that Great Britain has
already ratified the treaty and is I'M
der the pledge to Japan with refer
ence to Shantung; that France is soon
to ratify the treaty and is under the
same pledge to Japan.
docs anyone suppose that Japan
herself would submit to such a humiI-
iation before the eyes of the world"
asked Hitchcock.
1.-THE answer is simple" he as
serted. "We would find ourselves out
in the cold, isolated from the rest of
the world"
WHAT then will the United States
do? What will those American states
men propose who stand for this
method of killing the treaty? Some
of them will say that congress can
pass a joint resolution declaring a
state of peace with Germany, others
say the United States can negotiate
a separate and Independent treaty of
| peace with Germany, Those who talk
this way evidently have no conception
of the enormous benefits and advan-
tages which the United States derives
from this treaty, which we wrung
from Germany at the cannons' mouth.
Neither have they any conception of
the difficulties involved in negotiating
a new treaty with Germany to estabs
fish the terms of peace and settle the
| controversies of the war.
ITO my mind it would be suicidal
for the United States to throw away
the advantages and benefits provided
in this treaty. 1t would be disas-
trous commercially and financially.
1t would put us at an enormous dis
| advantage in our international rela-
tons not only with Germany but with
those nations which we would thus
desert. They would remain bound
together by ties of mutual interest.
They would enjoy the benefits of the
treaty and would not be slow to take
even. advantage. Of them. They would
resent our desertlon.
up to this point, l have discussed
the possible defeat of the treaty by
means of proposed amendments to it.
That is@the real program and hope Of
the majority Of the committee on
foreign relations. It is for that pur-
pose that the treaty has been locked
up in cold storage for SO many weeks.
The enemies of the league of nations
In the senate are not many compared
to it's friends, but they control the com
mittee. They have felt justified In re-
tanning the treaty in the committee,
holding useless hearings and making
killing amendments with the full
knowledge that amendments would
beat the treaty just as effectively as a
refusal to ratify.
"A few, a very few, senators have
declared that they would vote against
the treaty because of the league Of
nations, but it has remained for the
senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Knox
to declare boldly against partici-
patton In the treaty settlement.
ITO say that he has amazed the
country is to put it mildly--he has
shocked the country.
strangely enough after months Of
time and II number Of speeches IN