The St. Joseph observer., 1920-10-30
EVEN ROOT HELPS Pebble TIE
LIE

LIE
1t might not seem so bad or sound
so bad to hear an ordinary person
/ fiirt so desperately with the truth as
TO descend finally to common plain
lying, but when the lying bug kisses
! the man whom we have respected and
looked upon as our greatest. It is
doubly shocking and disappointing.
This paper is now referring directly
to Elihu Root, who also refuses to
tell the truth, along with many of the
common herd. for as the leading legal
! adviser of the great vested interests
that are seeking to regain control of
| the government he Joins with Hard
ing in deliberately misrepresenting
the facts Of the league controversy.
In his New York speech Tuesday
night he said: "Mr. Wilson insisted
upon the treaty absolutely unchang-
ed" Had Wilson been willing to ac-
cept reservations, he said, the treaty
would have been ratified.
The known facts are the evidence
that Elihu Root speaks falsely.
President Wilson did accept chang
es. He accepted changes in the cove
nant proposed by Root himself. as
well as other changes proposed by
| Taft and Hughes and Wickersham,
all eminent republican leaders, and
secured their Incorporation in the re-
vised covenant This is a matter Of
public record.
And when the covenant. as finally
| agreed upon at Paris after changes
were made, was submitted to the SEN
ate, President Wilson agreed to ac-
cept the five Hitchcock reservations.
Senator Hitchcock's reservations
covered these points:
1.-The right Of any member ma
tion to be the sole Judge as to whoth-
er its obligations on retirement from
the league have been performed.
2.-The exemption from the con-
sidcratiOn Of the league Of any mat
ter considered in international law a
A'lllfclAN AltfHlAbil VI 1Ils bIlf ItihlliS
from its Internal or CoastwiSe affairs.
3.-Nothing in the league is to be
construed as impairing the principle
Of the Monroe doctrine.
4.-The advice mentioned In Arti-
Gle Ten to be merely advice which
each member nation is free to accept
or reject. and in the United States
this advice can only be accepted by
action Of congress under our consti-
tuition.
5.-The equalization Of the six to
one vote" in the assembly.
on February Z, 1920, in letter to
Senator Hitchcock, President Wilson
wrote:
4 am happy to add. therefore, l
have once more gone over the reser-
vations proposed by yourself, the copy
Of which / return herewith, and l
am glad to say that can accept
them as they stand"
In the face Of this letter. which
was made public by Senator Hitch
cock at the time how can Root say.
how can Harding say that Mr.. vii
son insisted upon the treaty absolutely
unchaugcd?"
The republican senators voted
against accepting the Hitchcock res
o.vatious. though tho president was
willing 70 accept thcm, and now the
republican campaign Is based on the
statement that tho president. by his
'unyiclding" attitude, was responsible
for the defeat OF the treaty!
1t is a campaign Of hypocrisy as
wall as OF falsehood, It Is an affront
TO the Intelligence OF Americans. and
an insult TO its conscience. Not all
the Roots and Tafts and Wick ershams
4 and Hughes in the country can give
| it respectable standing before the bar
| OF an aroused and enlightened public
/ opinion.