Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1920-09-07

surface vigorous wave of opposition |
to his league of nations from all por- |
tons of the United States, from demo-
Gratis as we'll as republicans. This |
aroused the bitter animosity of the /
president and in the minds of the few
who reached him at the White House
he left no doubt of his violent resent
ment of all criticism.
The opposition to the presidents
plan reached its climax in a Round
Robin which was signed by thirty
seven republicans senators. and was
introduced as a senate resolution by
Senator Lodge March 8. AS the con-
stitution requires a majority of two
thirds in the senate to ratify a treaty
the signatures of these thirty-seven
senators were sufficient to guarantee
that the presidents plan would not
be carried out.
The text of the resolution was short
and to the point. 1t follows
Whereas, owing to the victory of
the arms of the United States and the
nations with whom it is associated, a
peace conference was convened and
is now in session for the purpose of
settling the terms of peace; and
Whereas, a committee of the confer
ence has proposed a constitution for
a league of nations and the proposal
is now before the peace conference
for its consideration;
"Now, therefore, be il resolved by
the senate of the United States in the
| discharge of its constitutional duty
! of advice in regard to treaties that 1t
is the sense of the senate that while it
) is their desire that the nations of the
! world should unite to promote peace
and general disarmament, the consti-
tuition of the league of nations, in the
} form now proposed to the peace con-
ference should not be accepted by the
} United States;
"And be 1t further resolved that it
! is the sense of the senate that the me-
| gotiations on the part of the United
States should Immediately be directed
! to the utmost expedition of the urgent
business of negotiating peace terms
: with Germany satisfactory to the
} United States and the nations with
: whom the United States is associated
in the war against the German gov
league of nations to insure the perma-
nent peace of the world should be
then be taken up for careful and seri-
Gus consideration"
The signers of this resolution were:
Senators Lodge, Massachusetts; Knox
/ Pennsylvania; Sherman, Illinois; New
: Indiana; Moses, New Hampshire;
Wadsworth, New York; Fernald
Maine; Cummins, Iowa; Warren
: Wyoming Watson, Indiana; Sterling
/ South Dakota; Frelinghuysen, New
, Jersey; Harding, Ohio; Hale, Maine
Borah, Idaho; Brandegee, Connecticut
= Calder, New York; Penrose, Penn
: sylvania; Page, Vermont; MsLean
J Connecticut; France, Maryland; Cur
tbs, Kansas; Specer, Missouri; Town
| send Michigan; Johnson, California
5 Nottingham, Vermont; Lenroot Wis
consn: Poindexter, Washington
| Sutherland, West Virginia; Smoot
, Utah; and Gronna, North Dakota
} Senators-elect Edge. New Jersey;
Reyes, New Hampshire; Mccormick
: Illinois; Phipps, Colorado; Newberry
| Michigan, and Ball, Delaware.
2 Later Senators Elkins, of West Vir.
| ginia, and Fall, of New Mexico, signed
g the resolution, making thirty-nine il
' ala margin of six over the thirty.
three needed to prevent ratification.
3 The Round Robin was made public
two days before the president sailed
Z from New York on his return to
: France 1t was in reply to its chal-
t lenge that President Wilson uttered
e final defiance in his farewell speech
/ at the Metropolitan Opera house, New
J, York, March 4. He said
e when the treaty comes back, gen
4 tlemen on this side will find the cove
] nant not only not changed, but sc
e many threads of the treaty tied to the
i covenant that you cannot dissect the
f covenant from the treaty without de
e stroying the whole vital structure
e The structure of peace will not b,
vital without the league of nations
and no man is going to bring back ;
S cadaver with him"
= While President Wilson was in thu
q United States, however, the members
of the peace conference had continued
d their work. They were not deaf Il
: criticism as the president had been
n When he returned to France he fount
e that they had decided not to maxi
e the league of nations a part of thu
S treaty of peace. By a direct ultima
e tum the president succeeded in over
d throwing this decision and in incor
n porating the league in the treaty. Blu
he accepted the other changes.
e On April % he presented the revised
t draft for the league to the conference
t The name of the document wa
. changed from Constitution" to cove
n nant" A special clause had been in
: serted to conceal the conflict with tn
s Monroe Doctrine. Several other claus
! es were changed or added. Not tn
e least interesting of the amendment
: was the provision by which member
/ of the league could refuse to accep
amendments to the covenant, although
! FORGETTING their membership by so do
ing. President Wilson said that thi
t provision had to be written into tn
IL covenant because of the demands O
e constitutional requirements" Appar
emily, the constitution of Brazil wa
e the only American constitution who's
e terms were considered in the writin
J. of the final draft
g The most noteworthy change cor
e cerned the Monroe Doctrine. The crit
e icism which President Wilson had re
eanfad sO hitterlV in the Unite