Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1920-03-27
KILLS TREATY
0bdurate Attitude on Article x and Against
Protection of American Rights
Kills Treaty in Congress.

son alone is laid the entire blame for
the defeat Of the peace treaty and the
league of nations.
Members Of Congress, irrespective OF
party, have no hesitancy in this conclu-
sion After the failure of the treaty to
get through the Senate last fall, popular
opinion demanded that something be
done to make another attempt at ratif
cation. Some of the most obdurate OF
the Democratic Senators, who had been
acting under the White House lash, were
ready to accept what would PRACTICAL y
amount to the Lodge reservations Amer
icanizing the treaty, if the President
was willing to change his uncompfon
ising attitude of demanding that il be
accepted in just the form in which he
sent it to the Senate.
Senator Lodge and other Republican
leaders in the Senate therefore brought
up the defunct treaty again in order to
do everything in their power to put over
a league of nations which would con-
serve American nationality. The effort
proved useless. After maneuyerings
for political position, the President fin
ally let it be known that he considers
Article y as essential TO the treaty and
its reservation notification of the
league.
The Presidents reasons for his stand
on this are considered specious and il
logical. lie declares in his last state
ment on the subject that the thing the
American troops in France fought for
and knew that they fought for was an
organization Of peace now known as the
league of nations and that to deny them
the full league as it was originally
written would be direct slap at them
Republican Senators, on the other
hand, take the view that what the
American soldiers fought for was the
protection Of American rights on tie
seas against German autoCracy. They
declare that the American boys across
the sea had no conception Of league.
These same senators contend that Arti-
C e X would utilize the vitality of the
United States in all future time to up
hold the British aud all other empires
in perpetuity; that it would mean
world held within present boundaries
as against any development of civiliza-
ton, which would include freedom for
Ireland and India. They declare that
TO reserve the right Of the American
Congress to declare when it believes
America should 20 to war to uphold the
boundaries of any other nation any.
where is only reasonable and national
safeguard.
The President is Of the belief that
Congress Of necessity retains this right
under the Constitution and that it would
be superhuous to write it into the reser-
walton to Article X. The Republican
leaders believe that the creation of a
superstate to which Congress as the
legislative body representing the Amer
lean people gives its assent derogates
from such power to declare war.
They therefore have sought to reserve
this power specifically, so that there
might be no question about it in the
future in any controversy that might
arise. The President says to expressly
! reserve such right nullifies the entire
treaty. The Republican leaders declare
| that Americas interests are first with
them and that they must protect them
This President appeals for "what it is
possible to accomplish for humanity in
stead of special national interests" and
the Republicans retort that if America s
interests are conserved the interests OF
the world will ultimately be conserved
also, for the reason that America stands
| for republicanism and representative
government as against monarchy and
empires. Thus the President, whose
attitude is thought here 80 be arbitrary
and opinioaated, clings to his determi.
nation to have the covenant just as he
agreed to it, and the Republicans of the
Senate, who want final peace so that
reconstruction may go on, but are not
willing to sacrifice America in order tC
do so, come to disagreement and the
treaty for the second time fails.