Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-06-13
Mountainous Molehills

| ITO the plain citizen, it seems a little absurd
that the United States Senate should
work itself into such a fever Of excitement
over the alleged peace treaty leak" That
body fused and stormed for days about this
proposition. Leading Senators shook their
fists at each other; wagged angry heads and
hurled ptiless accusations across the center
aisle. There were charges and counter
charges. There. were endless verbal assaults
and there might have been few physical
assaults II the weather had not been too hot.
And all this about what?
1t was about peace treaty now in the
course Of negotiation. That treaty has been
drafted. 1t is about $4,000 words in length
summary of 10000 words has been given
TO the public in this country and to the
public in every country interested. The
league OF nations sections OF the treaty have
been given out in full. Then, when revisions
in the original draft of the league were
made special announcement was made and
the revised document made public.
The Senate. therefore, was all "het up"
over treaty every member Of that body knew
all about, or could have known all about it
II he had taken the trouble to read what the
government has said on the subject The
Senate safely might have assumed that the
ohclal summary was a faithful summary Of
the covenant. 1t is unthinkable that the
President would be guilty OF giving out a
ment or should deliberately seek to misead
his own counrymen regarding even one
single provision OF the peace program.
But this was not satisfactory TO the Senate
IT wanted the instrument and wanted it in
full. And it wanted it from the hands Of
the President, who alone is authorized to
stamp it as official. 1t is not a surprising
matter that the President refuses TO transmit
the treaty 10 the Senate at this stage For
the present there is no Deace treaty and
there will be none until Germany has signed
The President. under the circumstances
would be following foolish counsel if he
Welded 10 the clamor in sending TO the Senate
an unprotected draft of what may later be-
come a treaty
But it is surprising that the President did
not authorize the State Department TO make
public the draft now in the possession Of the
department. 1t was not necessary 10 send it
10 the Senate To have done so would have
been a violation Of established procedure and
or all the proprieties Of the situation But
II is difficult TO understand why summary
or an instrument should be made public and
the text OF that instrument be guarded as
1ealously as II no line of it had been diyulged
10 the world. The President could have
saved himself a great deal of ANNOYANCE and
the Senate a great deal OF lost energy if he
had made public the summary and the text
at the same time. The chances are that NOT
one in 10000 men would have read more than
the summary, anyway.
BE that as it may. the Senate is making
itself ludicTous by its indignation over the
secrecy" thrown around the treaty of peace.
Inc answer, of course, is that the Senate is
not actually exercised over the covenant at
all IL merely finds an opportunity to make
Il ioud noise, and ii is making that noise in
the hope OF rafting the pitcher.