El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-09-26
TREATY BORES
FOLKS
President Wilson Finds the
State is Decidedly Apa-
thetic, Like Ohio.


I the United States. When the senate
/ has acted il viii be for me TO deter
mine whether its action constitutes an
adoption or rejection / do not wish
/ TO draw doubtful conclusions. / don't
wish to do injustice to the processes
| Of any honest mind But when that
treaty is acted upon I must know
! whether II means we have ratified It
I or rejected it,"
willing to Accept Paraphrases.
The foregoing paragraph is the
key TO the next steps in the great
controversy now going on in the SEN
ate Mr.. Wilson serves notice that he
has no objection to reservations that
are. as he says, multiplication Of
words by which you can make sim
pie words speak their meaning more
distinctly" but he most decidedly op-
poses Qualifications which mean
asking special exemptions and privi-
leges for the United States"
In other words TIE president.
while not saying IL in so many
words, reveals that while he
would be lOuth TO abandon his
original position in favor of an
absolute acceptance of the treaty
as signed Mt Paris, nevertheless
sees that he cannot very well OBJ
jet to reservations that are sim
ply parnphrase OF his own state
ments or interpretations in pub
lie speeches.
Indeed. he practically accepts what
formerly was the position of the mild
reservarionists, though he thinks
some OF their suggestions are super
fluous because already covered in
the language OF the treaty.
It is when the mild reservations
lists appear 10 Join the extremists in
limiting the nature Of Americas oblf-
cation under the covenant that the
president steps in and calls a halt
People in the senate may not
think the president would dare to
proclaim the rejection of the
treaty, but he feels so intensely
on the subject that he will IN
questionnbly do so If he thinks
any reservations put into the rat
flying resolutions alter the mean
ing of the contract in the treaty.
When the president reminded his
hearers at Denver that the power to
negotiate treaty rests with the ex-
ecutlve, he was uttering a warning
TO the senate and to the country as to
the course which he would be COM
PEELED TO adopt II the senate changed
the meaning Of the treaty.
Confusion OF Terms.
There has been much confusion over
and adoption" AS a matter Of fact,
the actual vote OF the senate merely
adopts treaty and Il is diplomatic
precedent for the president Of the
united states 10 perform the act OF
ratification" itself by formal notice
to other powers or by proclamation.
If he considers that the senate did
not adopt, but apparently rejected
the pact. he would then notify the
other powers that the United States
senate had amended" the treaty and
that he as as slgnatory thereto must
reopen the negotiations with a view
to obtaining the acceptance Of amend
ments by all the other powers, and
the president says this includes Ger |
many. too Senator A. B. Fail, Of New
Mexico, has argued that inasmuch as
Germany is not to be admitted imme- I
diately TO the league she cannot con-
sistently be given a voice in the !
amending OF the covenant.
Mr.. Wilson. on the other hand. says !
that Germany subscribes to the COW /
enant in the sense that she is obliged /
to agree 70 the formation OF the /
league as a means Of executing vari- 4
Gus articles OF the treaty itself. such /
as the Saare Basin and referendum 1
votes on other questions
The line between clarifying reser- /
vations and destructive reservations i
Is being closely. draWn.-Copyrigh I
1913 FL Paso Herald