Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1919-06-28


the amendment stand without, so far
as the United States is concerned, com
uniting both great documents to the
wastebasket. There are senators to-
day who are opposed to the league Of
nations as it stands, and to some ex-
tent to the treaty of peace, who are
ready to admit that possible sanction
will come for both documents without
the variation of a hair from the line of
the originals.
There are other senator's who say
that it will be perfectly feasible to
amend either document and to have
the amendments quickly sanctioned by
the other powers. This is talking in
| fog so far as these senators are con-
eerned, because so great is the uncer-
tainty concerning procedure that even
the wise ones do not know today just
what must be done on the other side
to put into effect such amendments as
the senate may suggest, il there is a
| disposition to accept such amend
ments.
Cropping In the Eog.
There has been considerable diff
Guilty in getting definite information as
to whether or not parliamentary &C
ton of the various countries involved,
! ignoring the United States, is neces-
sary to put the league treaty into full
effect. Within a day one senator has
said that the plenipotentiaries of all
countries except the United States have
full power to act for their govern
ments and that no ratification is nee
essary. Another senator has said that
the parliamentary bodies of all cOun-
tries must acQuiesce. It is, of course,
a matter Of definite knowledge that in
some cases the plenipotentiaries' act
is final, but in some cases it is not.
The illustration is given simply to
show how many senators are cropping.
It may be that the senate will sue
coed in securing a majority vote to
separate, for the purposes of consider
alton, the treaty of peace and the COW
enent of the league, but seemingly the
/ two things are so interviewer that If
! the separation comes it will be difficult
to sanction them separately without
great many explanations which may
so befuddle the whole situation that
the United States might as well be
considered out Of the thing for long
time to come.
Many Changing Their Views.
Not for years has there been so
much difficulty in determining the ac-
tual position Of individual senators on
any question. As a matter Of fact the
views of many of the senators have
changed from day to day as different
reports have come from the other side
concerning final changes in the cove
nant.
Message and Majority Program.
The day that congress opened
the Republicans and the Democrath
began putting bills into the legIss
lative mill The Republicans may or
may not have been surprised when
they discovered twenty-fOur hours
later that many Of the measures which
they as members of the dominant party
in congress had framed were along
lines of legislation which the president
advised should be followed in his COM
municatiOn to senate and house.
1t is possible that this Is the first
time in the history of the republic that
so far as presidential suggestions are
concerned an opposition party has
found itself largely in accord with the
chieftain of the enemy party. The
presidents message was written some
days before the Republican legislative
measures saw the light, but as the
news of the experimentation reached
the people twenty-four hours ahead Of
that of the Democratic action, the
party dominant in congress probably
will claim the credit for taking the
initiative.
So far as legislation, as at present
outlined by the leaders of Republican
ism, is concerned, there seems to BIZ
only the tariff upon which there is {
wide difference of opinion between the
Republican congressional majority an(
the administration. OF course as thu
session goes on the Republicans viii
r develop new legislative policies whicl
may or may not be in accord with tn,
presidential views. but today the tar
> if looms as the one big post marking
I the way to the field of differences.
) Working Along the Same Lines.
The treaty of peace and the cove
E nant of the League of NATIONS will fur
nish the hard gloves for the ring con
test in the senate, but as these mat
I tiers supposedly are removed from tn
I field Of partisanship it seems that d
s far as present-day indications are con
a cerned the Republican congress AM
! the administration are determined t
J, run along the same line.
j The president opened his messag
/. with a discussion of the labor situa
+ ton. There is more politics in Iabo
than in the tariff. The Republican
o have not yet definitely formulated
r plan of procedure to carry out thei
d views Of what should be done to max
o labor and capital partners, Thing