The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-10
American People Respond To
Appeal of Wilson.
Discuss the League of Nations
ION Every Hand.
HEAVY mail TO SENATORS
Sentiment Is Split on Wants
of the People.
Many Want League-SOme
Would Make Changes.

Washington March 10.-The Ameri-
can. people are responding eagerly to
President Wilson's invitation to discuss
the league of nations.
While controversies over war poll
Giles drew a tremendous number of let
tiers, nothing in the memory of men
! now in congress equalled the present
avalanche of mail at their offices.
Senators haven't been able to read
half the letters addressed to them on
. the subject, they said today. But
what letters have been ~ead show one
. thing clearly-that the Country rea-
Lies the vast Importance of the ques-
tion.
In Four Glasses.
Forty-seven hundred letters chosen
from the files of eighteen senators
representing every section of the
c. untry and both political parties,
readily asserted themselves in four
classes.
First. those unqualified1y for the
league, as now proposed, 1928.
Second. those for the league, with
qualifications. 1910.
Third, thos- expressing no opinion
but asking for information, 264.
Fourth, those unqualifiedly against
/. the league in its pres FORM 1889
More than half the letters in the
first class came from professional and
business men. Clergymen, scholars.
educators, law. srs. writers-men and
: women alike-and many big business
men apparently approve vey heartily
Z of the draft OF the league constitution
Z as it now stands. The rest of the let
tiers in the first class based their ap-
sproval o.. faith in President Wilson. 1t
I may be significant that most of the
letters in class one came from the
east, New England and the>south.
The vast bulk of the other three
Z classes came from the middle and far
west.
An End to War.
. Thru the class two letters ran the
strain-"We want an end to war
but" and the writers then expressed
. in various ways their fears that the
proposed league would enmess the
United States too deeply in foreign af-
fairs. The Monroe doctrine, American
4 sovereignty and all the other objec-
these letters. Many of them COM
splained-that President Wilson'S atti-
tude is. that of a man. assuming SUI
aperior wisdom and. unwilling to come
( down to cases in giving reasons for
various provisions.
Glass three, the smallest, came
: largely from school teachers and wo-
men generally. Men apparently have
made up their minds rather thoroly
on the league. The information asked
was chiefly along the lines of the OBJ
jections raised against the league in
1.-THE senate.
Glass four contained some bitter let
aters. In them President Wilson was
vigorously assailed. senators CRITICS.
ing the league were applauded and in
a number more or less thinly yelled
threats were made against the govern
ment if the league compact is ratified.
Most of the letters of this class. how
Fever. struck the same note that ran
thru all then others-"let us prevent
war forever"
Scores of the letters offered substi-
tutes for the proposed league ranging
from a policy of complete American
isolation, maintained by force if nee
essary to a policy of diplomacy, the
chief feature of which would be keep
ing European nations constantly in
crows with one another so this coun-
try would be let alone