The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-05-15

tive in making peace with a foreign
government. While there might be no
objection, for instance, in the repeal
of wartime laws from a domestic view
point. the President could contend that |
IL derives him of-one of the most inn |
portant weapons needed in negotiating |
peace with foreign government. For |
one thing it endeavors to dispose of
German property in the United States,
in the sense that it removes from Mr.. |
Wilson s hands the power to hold that
propertv as club over Germany in
the event that a new negotiation for a
treaty with Germany might later be-
come necessary.
| Senator Lodge himself has shrewdIy
withdrawn from the Knox resolution
| the request for a separate peace with
Germany, thereby eliminating one pat
ent objection, which the executive could
have raised, namely, that the resolution
| is an effort to force the hand of the
executive in negotiations with for
| eign government, by intruding legisla-
tive stipulations bearing up on the ne
| gotiations themselves. Senator Knox,
| too, recognized in the house resolution,
when he eliminated the ultimatum re-
| curing Germany to give America GER
tain commercial rights-this being a
matter. too, that could only be arranged
by communication between the Ameri-
can executive and foreign govern
lment.
But the dilema for the President,
it is recognized comes from the fact
that the house Democrats were willing
to support a resolution simply repeating
war time laws Yet Mr. Wilson and
, the Democrats on Capitol Hill have
, not lately been in too close contact and
the action of the latter is generally
thought to have been Of their own in
litiative.
The President himself has declared
8 once before that peace cannot be made
by resolution of congress and he is UNI
likely to sanction such a precedent at
this stage of his controversy with con.
gress over the respective rights of the
5 Legislative and executive branches OF
7 the government.
Mr. Wilson knows that in the con
G vention at which the constitution OF
: the United States was framed, the
original article gave congress the righ
I to "declare war and peace but tina
T the words "and peace,' were elimi
y mated by unanimous vote, because i
d was contended that the legislative bod,
g would always be too unwieldv to con
e duct negotiations with a foreign gov
e ernment.
} Strangely enough, it was also argue
q that peace making by congress woul
e be difficult, if not embarrassing becaus
= it would be a matter of debate, thu
making impossible confidential eS
changes held to be necessary to an
quick or successful agreement.
s: The senate is due to pass the Kno
:: peace resolution Saturday The Dem
!: ocrats have decided it would be wises
:: to let the resolution pass without dc
!: bate so as to admit the President
&: veto and return the treaty of Versatile
:: to the senate. Then it will becom
:: necessary for the Republican nations
3: convention to express itself defnitel
4: on what action it proposes with refer
:: ence to the treaty. and it will -similarl
!: compel the Democratic convention /
!: state its program, with reference I
:: the treaty. A simple negative al
= nouncement. such as the Indiana RI
&: publican convention has passed migl
:: be Suthclcnt, while the treaty of We
!: salles is lodged in the White Hou,
!: pigeon hole but when it is before II
!: senate an affirmative or negative cour
s: of action will become essential to Il
8: platforms of all political parties. Al
!: that Is when the trouble will begin,
:: Bryan endeavOrs to commit the Dem
!: Gratis to the Lodge reservations and
:: the President urges endorsement wi
=: the Hitchcock reservations, while
4: the same time Senator Hiram Johns,
3: and Senator Borah insist that t
&: treaty of Versailles be condcmne
i reservations and all, and Senator Lodi
:: and his supporters endorse the trea
{: with the reservations agreed upon
(: the senate majority Both Mr. W
!: son and Mr.. Lodge have had their ";
!: the treaty is the big issue Of t
!: campaign.