New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-04-09
WILSON'S TREATY STAND
HIT BY HOkE SMITH

Washington. April Ringing i.
Smith, OF Georgia, one of the mos
pominent of the Democratic Senator's
in favor of the attitude of Senator
Lodge and his Republican colleague.
toward the Americanization of the
peace treaty.
at is hardly necessary" he said
FOR me to express again my earnes,
desire that the Senate ratify the
treaty with reservations protecting
American interests and preserving un-
trammeled the discretion of Congress
upon subjects entrusted to it by the
Constitution.
1t is most important for our coun-
try to be no longer technically al
war. am convinced that the in
terests of the country require that
the treaty be ratified now. To carry
it into the campaign this fall will
take the attention of the country
away from domestic problems and
leave the treaty with no more pros
pects for ratification il the future
than It has 1t the preseat time.
More than one-third Of the SEN
ators who will remain in the Senate
two years after the ist of March are
opposed to the treaty without sub
stantial reservations. and. regardless
of the election this fall, the treaty
cannot be ratified for tyo years lon
ger without substantially the reser-
vations which a majority of the
Senators will now agree upon.
Anyone who will take the list Of
Senators to be elected this fall who
are opposed to ratification without
substantial reservations must concede
that quite a number of them will
certainly be reelected. Ny own
judgment is that the vote OF the
Senate will be stronger the 4th of
next March against ratifying the
treaty without reservations than it
has been during the past twelve
months.
Il do not belive that a majority of
Senators will at any time be found
no matter how distant that time
who be willing to place the obliga-
tion upon this country to send our
soldiers and our sailors into the wars
Of the world. as required by Article
x. The duties which the constitu-
ton places upon the Congress, and
which Article X would require them
to approach with prior obligation
censtraining their action, must be re-
moved or the league cannot and
should not ever be ratified.
The questions before US today are
Shall we leave our country technical
" in a state of war; Shall we refrain
rom caring for the interests of our
in connection with the read
ustments that must be made under
he terms of the treaty because the
covenant of the league of nations is
Tot to be made as strong as someone
would have it'
@To those who wish il stronger
han the Senate is willing to leave
{ | appeal for favorable action on
'atification. Even IL they do not
gree with me that the mo iifications
ho;ld be made, they must know
hey will never obtain league coven-
hi going beyond the terms to which
ne majority of the Senate will now
.onsent They. therefore. by refus-
ng a vote for ratification keep this
iuestion before the country and be-
ore the Senate, interfering with
'thcr important problems that should
cceive consideration, without the
,ossibility of doing more in the direc.
ion of the covenant than they can
lelp do now.
The friends of the covenant can
ever secure more than they can se-
ure now. II they cast away their
opportunity, the probability is that
hey will lose it for al time. II they
% not obtain all they wish. they
ertainly obtain much that they wish.
ri they serve their country ani fol-
ow the wishes of the people OF this
orntry by ending the matter. I there
ore have supported and shall SUP
ort the substitute offered by the {
enator from Massachusetts, and I
hall finally support for ratification
he treaty under such reservations as
re majorry of tine Senate nay
lace" !;
4