The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-09-10
Proposed by Senate Foreign
Relations Committee to
the German Treaty
UNCONDITIONAL RIGHT
TO QUIT IS SOUGHT
An Amendment Would Give
Shantung to China, In
stead of to Japan

terlzed as an alliance and not a league,
which will breed wars instead of secur
ing peace, the German peace treaty, in.
cluding the covenant for league of ma
tions was formally reported to the Sen.
ate to-day by the foreign relations com.
mittee, with As amendments and four
reservations.
1t will be the first great document of
It's kind to be discussed in the open
without the confines of Executive ses.
sions."
Accompanying the treaty was the ma.
jority report Of the foreign relations
committee, subscribed to by every Re
publican member except Senator Me-
Cumber of North Dakota, explaining the
amendments and reservations, all of
which il was declared, governed by a
single purpose and that is TO guard
American rights and sovereignty, the in
vasion of which would stimulate breeches
of faith, encourage conflicts and generate
wars"
The reservations propose:
l-Unconditional rights to withdraw
from the league,
2,Declination by the United States
TO accept any of the legal or moral obi
cations of the much discussed article
ten, or TO accept any mandatory from
the league except by action of the Con-
gress Of the United States.
3.-Reserying to the United States the
exclusive right to decide what questions
are within its own domestic jurisdiction.
T.. Absolute reservation of the Mon
roe doctrine to the Judgment of the Unit
ed States alone.
The principal amendments are proposed
to provide:
Equal voting power for the United
States with Great Britain in the assem-
bly, Of the league,
Giving to China instead Of Japan the
province Of Shantung.
Relief of the United, States from hav,
ing representatives on commissions de-
Gliding matters in which il has no con
cern.
Others concern phraseology.
These amendments and reservations.
the majority report says, are submitted
ito preserve American independence and
American sovereignty and thereby best
serve the welfare Of mankind"
Fears that other nations may not ac.
| cept an amended covenant, the report
dismissed with the statement:
THAT is one thing that certainly win
not happen. The other nations
will take us on our own terms, for with
out us their league il wreck and all
their gains from victorious peace are
imperilled."
That the adoption of amendments will
neeessitate reassembling of the peace
conference, the report denies, asserting
that the conference probably will be in
session for six months more in Paris and
might as well be "at least as usefully
| employed" as "they now are in dividing
and sharing southeastern Europe and
| Asia Minor" German delegates, the re-
port contends, could easily be brought
to Paris, and as Germany is not mem
ber of the league she need not be con
suited about changes of the covenant
Reply to Criticism of Delay.
AT the outset the majority report
deals at length with criticisms Of delay,
and points out that whereas the peace
conference took six months to agree on
the treaty, the Senate foreign relations
committee has had AZ working days. De-
mands for speed "in the most important
subject that ever came before the SEN
ate Of the United States" the report
says were legally the work of the ad-
minstration and its newspaper orgahi-
zation"
A second ratified" demand for haste,
the report says, came from certain greet
banking firms which had direct pecuni-
ary interest in securing an early oppor.
tunity to reap the harvest" in the ad.
justment of financial obligations of the
warning countries. The third was in the
"unthinking outcry of many excellent
| people who desired early action and for
the most part had never read the treaty
or never got beyond the words league
of nations which they believed to mean
the establishment of eternal peace"
ITO yield helplessly to this clamor," /"
declares the report, "was impossible to
those to whom was intrusted the per.
formance of a solemn public duty"
Recalling the Senate's responsibility as
equal with the presidents, the report re.
| counts at some length the difficulties the
foreign relations committee experienced
in getting information on the treaty, be.
ing obliged to send to Paris for maps,
being compelled to get imperfect in
formation from press reports" and hav-
ing at its disposal few official docu.
ments Collateral treaties having bear.
ing, the report says, the committee was
unable to get. OF the sum of informa-
tion received in conferences with Pres
ident Wilson and Secretary Lansing, the
report remarks:
"The people themselves know how
much information in regard to the treaty
was received by the committee upon
those two occasions"
While criticism for delay has been
aimed at the foreign relations committee
the report points out, no action has been
taken by France Japan or Italy TIL
ayat hot