The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-05-16
Washington Letter.
RIDING TO A FALL

Washington, May 15-The Repub-
lican Publicity Association, through il
President, Hon. Jonathan Bourne, Jr.,
today gave out the following state
ment from its Washington Headquar-
| ters:
early in the day of March 4th,
when the session of Congress was
drawing to a close, thirty-nine Sena-
tors of the next Congress published to
the world over their signatures a dec
lation that it was their sense that the
business of making peace with Ger
many should proceed with the utmost
expedition, and that the proposal for
league Of nations to insure the per-
manent peace Of the world should be
then taken up for careful and seri-
Gus consideration"
Evidently considering such a SOL
emn pronouncement mere scrap of
paper, Mr.. Wilson, on the evening of
that day in New York, gave voice to
the following threat: When that
treaty comes back gentlemen on this
side will find the covenant not only in
it, but so many threads Of the treaty
tied to the covenant that you cannot
dissect the covenant from the treaty
without destroying the whole vital
structure When the president
uttered those words he knew that if
his threat were carried out it would
mean the defeat of the peace treaty,
and a still further continuance of
tnn ctaf IF ~ -.
the character Of the man that he has
persisted in his foolhardy course, and
the country has before it the consum-
nation of his rash statement. The
treaty and the league covenant are
one and the same document, and in
that form they will be placed before
the Senate and ratification invited
"It is just as inevitable that the
Siamese-twin production of Mr.. Will
son will be rejected by the Senate as
it is certain that the signers of what
has come to be known as "The Second
Declaration of independence" are hon.
orable men whose rule it is to stanu
by the principles to which they sub
scribe. 1t is also inevitable that when
that rejection takes place, Mr.. Will
son will try to throw the burden of
responsibility for delaying peace on to
the shoulders of the patriotic thirty
nine. He charged certain Senator'S
with embarrassing the finances of the
Government when they refused to be
dragooned into passing the immense
amount of legislation that he had
heaped upon them in the closing days
of the Congress, and insisted that the
bills should go over until there was op-
portunity for adequate consideration.
In just that way will he undertake to
transfer to them the burden Of con-
tinuing the status of war.
"But the people know where the re.
sponsibility will lie. They know that
the treaty-league monstrosity that Mr..
Wilson will bring back with him was
defeated on that memorable 4th of
March quite as effectually as if it had
been voted on specifically at that time.
They know that after the coordinate
treaty-making power of the Govern
ment had so definitely expressed itself
in opposition to combination of the
league and the treaty it was utterly
futile for the President to take con-
trary course; and having done so,
whatever consequences flow from his
perversity must be done by him.
"To snap his finger at the solemn
warning cf more than a sufficient
number of Senators to insure the de-
feat of league-treaty pact, and then
to enter deliberately into such cove
nant, is but the natural evolution Of
the Wilson autocracy Of method that
has been growing upon the country
during his reign. But this time he is
riding to fan, and his attempt to
procure the endorsement of his docu-
ment when he knows that such an
effort will fail and technically still
further prolong the war, will meet
with the effective reputation that the
sturdy signers of the Second Declar-
alton of independence have in store
for him."
The United State is confronted with
the question whether the judgement
of one man is better than that Of thir-
ty-nine. President Wilson says that
the League Of Nations covenant is
wisely constructed and that the United
States should become a party to it.
also that the League of Nations cove
nant should be incorporated in the
Peace Treaty. Thirty-nine United
States Senators say that it is not
properly constructed, that the United
States should not be a party to it, and
that in any event the League of Ma
tions and the Peace Treaty should be
considered and acted upon separately.
Representatives of other nations at
the peace conference have had due
notice of the action taken by the thir-
ty-nine Senators. These Senators con,
stitute more than the number required
to defeat a peace treaty. 1t follows,
therefore, that not only President Will
son but all other participants in the
conference are aware that if they
combine the League of Nations and
the Peace Treaty they take all the
n