Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-08
RETURN Of PACT To
Be WILSON s REPLY
TOSPEECH Of KNOX
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

WASHINGTON, May 6.-Presi-
dent Wilson has waited in silence
for the man who defeated the treaty
of Versailles in the senate to offer
an alternative course of action.
Senator Philander C. Knox, former
secretary of state, and Republican
reader, a member of the group .irrec-
oncilably opposed to the treaty
with or without reservations, has
spoken in defense. of the plan to
make peace by congressional resolu-
ton. Insofar as this brings out at
last the lines of battle, it marks a
step forward toward the great con-
test at the polls where the issue will
be decided; insofar as it emphasizes
the hopeless deadlock between the
executive and legislative branches
of the government, it breathes anew
the passion of personal strife and
party bitterness which has prevent
ed nag agreement 8ntn for SO long sen.+or,s
Vas carefully prepared land skill
fully pieced together. But it was
avowedly destructive citicism-an
analysis Of what had been done,
should have been proposed at
Paris. 1t doesn't propose any
concrete or general plan for
action in the face of today's
! situation, beyond a vague sugges-
ton for an international conference
some day wherein European nations
shall be persuaded to give UP the
provisions of the treaty which they
already have ratified and now are
executing and set up a new basis of
| international law.
View of Knox
But Senator Knox makes an hon
est presentation of the view point OF
the irfeconcilables. He doesn't take
refuge behind the cry for proper
reservations" He brushes aside as
canizing the treaty with reserva-
tions" INDUCED by Messrs. Lowden::
Harding, Wood Will Hayes and
others.
He defines the issue exactly as
Senator Hiram Johnson has so per-
I primary e Raa IN He is u0 against
the whole treaty and the league.
Here is the most interesting para
graph in the speech;
tions proposed in the senate Amert-
canize the league. This, Of course,
is not true A more accurate state
ment of the effect of those reserva-
lions is that they tend to make 1t
safer for America to enter the ne
league by refusing to be bound IN
maj. important matters by its &C
ton. But it is not enough that the
league shall be made safe for Ameri-
ca; it must be made safe for all who
enter it and safe for the world. AS
see it nothing could be fraught
with more danger than any nation
havin., a specially insured relation
to a league where the other men,
bers are subject to theN dangers
against which the immune nation at
tempts to secure ITSELF
Wilson Certain to Veto
o<.41 yl1S,f IlTsncs
ident Wilson has contended In his OPP
position to reservations and will ex-
plain to the historian of the future
why Senator Knox and the 1rrecon-
cilable Republicans voted with the
administration Democrats against the
Lodge reservations and thus prevent
ed the treaty from getting the neces-
sary two-thirds. 1t makes it possible
for the president to insist that the
Republican party Is dominated by the
ram johnson and not by Senator
Lodge 1t foreshadows the division
of voters into three parties on the
treaty issue at least.
Senator Knox marshalled precedent
after precedent to prove that peace
by Joint resolution is as effective le-
gally as a treaty of peace. There IS
not a bit of doubt that II the prest-
dent happened to be on the other sue
of the fence these same preceoenGs
would be marshalled by him. NO
doubt exists here that hostilities have
ended in the war with Germany and
that for all practical purposes the
war is at an end. But unfortunately
the constitution Of the United STATES
isn't very explicit and both sides can
about the respective powers OF each
branch of the government:
To Return Treaty
And there is no way to declde the
dispute unless a case were prougnI
to the supreme court of the United
States-something that would take
MANY months to bring about. so the
president is determined to veto the
peace resolution If 1t passes the sen
ate as it did the house and everybody
admits that it VIII be next to lmpos-
sible to get two-thirds vote TO pass
veto. This is so universally conceded
that congress is getting ready to take
a summer recess in a few weeks WnlIe
the conventions and campaigns are olt'
The Knox speech is campaign mats,
rial. President Wilson will add fuel
TO the flames very soon by returning
the treaty of Versailles as his answer
TO the attempt to make peace by res
olution. g..
But he is generally expected to
turn over a new leaf ana SO phra as
his statement accompanying me
treaty as to leave open the paths
of compromise on reservations. That
is the way he wants to have the
matter rest as three factions in the
dispute, argue the case before me
s srs"' torn NIB between irreconcilable op-
position to the whole treaty and the
Lodge reservations, and the Demo
Gratis solidly behind the Wilson
viewpoint. That's where the ruo
fGtyen' and at others in the Democrats
fold are themselves irreconcilably
opposed to Article x and other
things which the president thinks ,,6t
he candidate, but from now on
he he will V fight to make that San Fran
cisco convention indorse his view
point on the treaty and interpreta-
tive reservations.
Economic in Use of Sugar