Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-10
LEAGUE OF NATIONS REAL
PRACTICAL NECESSITY FOR
new WORLD ORDER 'HESAYS
Wilson, Before Senate,
Tells of Work of the
Peace Conference.

Washington, July 1O.-Presi-
dent Wilson in presenting the
peace treaty with Germany to
the senate today declared that
'leagUe of free nations had be-
come a practical necessity to
which the trainers of the treaty
felt obliged to turn, "as an IN
dispensible instrumentaIity for
the maintenance of the new or
der it has been their purpose
to set up in the world"
'The most skepticaI" Of the
peace conferees at Paris, the presi-
dent said, had turned more and
more to the league as discussion
progressed in seeking solution of
the problems that arose in framing
the terms of the treaty itself.
Peace Worked Out On League.
| THE fact that the covenant Of
the league was the first substantive
part of the treaty to be worked out
and agreed upon" the president
said, while all else was in solu-
ton, helped to make the fomula-
ton of the rest easier"
Mr.. Wilson said the agreement
on the covenant had given the con-
ferees a feeling that their work
was to be permanent and that the
most practical among them were
at last the most ready to refer to
the league of nations the superin-
tendence of all interests which did
not admit of immediate determina-
tion, of all administrative problems
which were to require a constituting
oversight"
No Longer Ideal, But Necessity.
What had seemed a counsel Of
perfection" said the president, had
come to seem a plain counsel of
necessity. The league of nations
was the practical statesmen's hope
of success in many of the most diff
fcnlt things he was attempting"
| When the president entered the
senate chamber, escorted by a com
mittee of senators, the crowded
galleries rose and cheered for a
minute in disregard of the senate
rules. The president, mounting to
the vice presidents seat, spoke
J briefly with Vice President Mar
shall as the cheering continued,
punctured with rebel" yells.
Breaks Another Precedent.
1t was the first time a president
| had presented a treaty in person,
and the first time a message Of
! presentation has been received
with the senate's doors open to the
public.
By common consent, the senate
is expected to again violate its
practices of more than a century
and order the treaty printed i'm
mediately for public circulation.
Whether it will go further and
invite the president to make more
detailed explanation before the for
! eign relations committee was a
question warmly debated in infOr-
NAL conferences today.
Debate Begins Monday.
Monday the debate on ratification
will begin. This debate, lasting
perhaps for many weeks, also is eX-
pected to be held with open doors,
and in the opinion of some senR-
tors the committee is likely to ad-
NIT the public when it questions
Secretary Lansing and other mem
bers of the peace delegation.
Admission to the senate gallery
was by card only, each senator
having been allotted six tickets.
The house had adjourned until
2 o'clock so that membe 9uld
hear the president.
Senate Situation Strange.
The senate situation confronting
the president was one Of many pos
sibiltties, variously estimated by
the leaders for and against the
League of Nations. With every
senator present or paired when Tho
final roll call is taken, the treaty
with its league covenant must re-
ceive a two thirds maJority-64
votes. This total, the presidents
supporters declare, is assured,
while the opposition leaders assert
it never can be attained without
the inclusion of material reserva-
tions in the ratification resolution.
Test On Reservations.
The first test will come with the
attempt to write in the various
reservations. For this, opponents Of
the league declare, only a simple
majority, 40 votes, will be required.
The claims of administration
leaders is that 46 of the AZ Demo-
crat senators and at least eight Re
publicans will vote against any
reservation that would yitiate the
principles of the league or in any
way menace it's existence, Against
this is an opposition claim that
every one of the 40 Republican
senators md from two to 10 Benz
ocrats will support many Of the
reservations they expect to pro
pose.