Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-24

which is "hair-splitting carried to the limit"
1.-THE only false note struck is that by Senator
Hitchcock, says the BUFFALO EVENING
NEWS, referring to the senator's remark that
the proposed compromise" agreed to by Sem
ator Lodge was mot compromise blu a sur
render" and the IDAHO STATESMAN thinks
any Interpretation satisfactory to President
Wilson would Sin no way protect American
. to any further extent than the original
text affords protection. "'
Yet the SPRINGFIELD UNION calls the
discussion war Of words and phrases, and
the equally Republican PHILADELPHIA IN
QUIRER thinks it all hinges on pride OF
authorship in which both sides are blame
worthy. The independent Republican"
PORTLAND OREGONIAN'S main objection
to the Lodge reservation is that it is ambigu-
ous," while the BURLINGTON (Vt) NEWS
traces the deadlock to "Mr Wilson's obstl-
Macy" which twas manifested at the wrong
time Not with his own senate, but with the
representatives at the peace table should ne
have taken issue, since the present form OIL
Article x was not the one drafted by the
president but one that represents the cool
cynicism of sordid European diplomacy
Practical suggestions as to way out OF
the deadlock are naturally looked for
among the independent" papers. "Rat1ty!
the NEW YORK EVENING POST urges;
"the country is not interested in who sur
renders to whom" and 'if Lodge must
have his pet phraseology, let him have IL.
The irrefutable logic of events Will correct
any hating logic that may be injected into
the reservations" The SIOUX CITY
TRIBUNE objects only to the "boorlsh man
ner" of the Lodge reservations; the DE-
TROIT FREE PRESS finds growing
anxiety among the Democratic 5tand-pat-
ters' who are cleft high ami dry by Mr..
Wilson" The NEW YORK GLOBE urges
the Lodge following "to drop their bag of
tricks" The SPRINGFIELD REF UBLICAN
warns that we may see the president re-
calling the treaty, on the ground that the
senate has proved it's inability to function"
Yet this action would presumably not be I'M
welcome from the point of view Of the SAN
FRANCISCO CHRONICLE which quotes the
president as saying that membership in the
league involves very serious far-reachlns
implications of honor and duty" and adds:
"It is precisely those implications which we
wish to avoid
RETURN TO THE FOURTEEN POINTS
We are not all impressed by the explo-
sions of anger against the president in Eu-
rope. They emanate from politicians and
from newspapers controlled by politicians. In
view of the history of the Peace Conference
they are not to be taken seriously. The
treaty with Germany is already under at
tack everywhere and it is generally admit
ted that it cannot be executed in the form
in which it was ratified. The clauses that
are breaking down are the clauses that the
president opposed and on which he felt he
was obliged to yield in order to reach an
agreement.
There is nothing to be gained by going
through that procedure again, at least so far
as the United States is concerned. If the
allied governments had adhered to the gen.
eral principles of peace that they accepted
when they framed the armistice, there would
have been no Fiume crisis. The way to in.
sure permanent peace in Europe is to re-
turn to those principles without further loss
of time-NEW YORK WORLD (Dem.)