The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-08-12

Up to Administration t.
| Accept Guarantees of
| independence
| WHAT WILL WE DC
There must be effective reserva
tions."
Those are the words of Chairman
Will H. Hayes of the Republican Ma
tional committee. They embody tn,
unalterable determination of a ma
jority of the United States senate
of the Republican party and of tn
American people. There need be nj
further concern respecting the pres
ervation of the independence of thi.
Republic. The fight has been won
Those who are unwisely conveyin:
the contrary impression to the presi
dent are either ignorant or deludet
or vainly bluffing. We are telling him
the truth. Sooner or later he viii
realize that fact. The sooner the
better for the country and for him.
self.
What precisely are those reser.
vations? Mr.. Hays sets them forth
succicitly and accurately in these
words:
These reservations must safe.
guard the sovereignty of the United
States in every particular; must
guarantee the Monroe Doctrine be-
yond the shadow Of a doubt; must
either eliminate Article X entirely
or so modify it that our own congress
shall be morally as we'll as legally
free after specified period 10 lecide
when and where and to what extent
our soldiers shall be employed; must
retain our full control Of immigration
tariff and all other purely domestic
policies land must provide the full
rights to withdraw from the league
at any time without hindrance or
conditions of any kind, upon giving
suitable notice"
Mr.. Hays does not say in SO many
words that he would advocate rati-
fication of the treaty if these reserva-
lions were incorporated, but the in
ference is plain and unmistakable.
He would. So would Senator Lodge.
So would practically all of the Re-
publican senator's. Consequently Mr..
Hays is fully warranted in adding:
ut is up to theh administration to
decide whether it will or will not &C
cept these essential guarantees of
American independence, which would
unquestionably be promptly accepted
by the other nations"
The correctness of the last state
ment is beyond question. Both
France and England have made it
clear that they attach slight impor-
ance to the proposed league or what
the covenant contains. They will
accept readily whatever the United
States may offer. Individually, then,
it is cup to the administration to de-
eide" whether it will join in con-
serving the interests of the country,
or get no ratification of the treaty
which the president personally nego-
tiated. There is no other alternative.
But let there be no misunderstood
ing. When Mr.. Hays says effective"
effective is what he means. Mere
interpretations" having no binding
force will not go. The guarantees
of American sovereignty must be
rockribbed and copper-fastened. They
must constitute part of the treaty
itself and be accepted as such by the
other powers. When poor Senator
Hitchcock truculently declares that
the president will not permit an to
be dotted or a to be crossed, he
talks like an ass, but not whit more
than the New York Times
when it weakly admits that Mr..
Wilson might accept explanatory
but none of vital eff
feet" Men are not mice. Neither
are the winners of this fight for the
Nation fools. They cannot be de
ceived. The country has come to
realize that. They cannot be coerced
or cajoled. The president has dis
covered that His artful attempts
at circumvention have failed. Twist
and squirm as he may, he can only
beat his head against stone wall.
More than a sufficient number of
senators to prevent ratification have
given mutual and absolute pledges
never to accept the covenant as it
stands, regardless of the effect upon
their political fortunes, and clear
will vote for effective reser-
vations. That is all there is of it.
Now what is the president going
to do?
Will he put his heel in the ground,
rs he has so many time threatened
to do, and concede nothing? Then
the treaty will surely be rejected and
the responsibility for its defeat will
be his and his alone as consequence
Of his unwarranted assumption Of
lictational authority.
Will he appeal to the country as he
promised? We doubt it. From the
day of the first announcement to this
effect las our readers are aware, we
have regarded this absurd menace
rs bluff. The reason is plain. Mr..
Wilson cannot successfully defend
his utterly un-American proposals be-
fore an American audience and he
knows it. His only hope from the
beginning has been to prevail thru
appeals to sentiment rather than to
reason. Not once in his many dis
sertations has he advanced a single
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