Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-03-23
RATIFICATION URGED
IN ELOQUENT PLEA
SENATOR SMITH
(The Atlanta Journal News Bureau)
623 Riggs Building.
NV THEODORE TILLER

623 Riggs Building.
| BY THEODORE TILLER
WASHINGTON, March 2O.-Be-
fore the senate rejected the peace
treaty Friday night, Senator Hoke
Smith made one final and eloquent
plea for compromise and ratlhca-
| ton. The reservations to the treaty,
| he contended were reservations OF
| Americanism and did not "nulllfy
| the treaty. The president, he add
ed, has been unfortunate in deScrlb-
| ing them as multiplying reservations.
On the final vote, the two Geor-
gia enators again were on oppos-
| ing sides. Senator Smith voted for
ratification with reservations, Sena-
tor Harris was one of the twenty
Democrats who stood with Senator
Hitchcock and refused to vote for
the league covenant as modified by
the Lodge reservations.
All compromise reservations Of
fered by Senator Simmons, senator
Hoke Smith and other Democrats
were rejected in the closing hours
of treaty debate.
The senior Georgia senator made
an impassioned speech near the
close of the senate battle. He held
the attention of the packed CALLER
les and the senate chamber. 1t was
Senator Smiths last effort to get
ratification. He preferred certain
changes in the Lodge reservations,
but held that if they were impossi-
BILE to obtain it was the duty of the
senate to ratify and let the presi-
dent do what he would with the
t. naty as it came to him from CO.
ordinate treaty-making branch of
the government.
Senator Smiths Speech
In his speech, one Of the most ex-
tended and able Senator Smith has
delivered during the treaty debate,
the Georgia senator said in part:
For the second time, we ap-
proach a vote upon the ratification
with reservations of our peace
treaty with Germany and the cove
nant of the League of Nations. L
regard it as of the utmost impor-
lance that the resolution of ratifica-
ton should be approved by the
requisite number of senators. If It
is not done, l have no hope that IA
vorable action will take place for
twelve months. The natural thing
for us to do. and the proper thing,
if the requisite tWo-thirds votes are
not cast for ratification, would be TO
return the treaty at once to the
president with notice to him that
tie senate has failed of ratification
and let the responsibility be upon
him for future action. 1 cannot con-
ceive that it would be essential for
US to retain the treaty after two in
effectua1 efforts at ratification. We
must then remain in a technical
state of war with Germany. We
have no representative in Germany,
c"asuls or otherwise. Great Britain,
France, Italy and Japan have re-
sumed their full commercial rela
tions with Germany. The United
States alone of the great powers is
at least neglecting its commercial In
terests in this respect.
IF we fail to ratify the treaty,
we fail to place our representative
with the council in Europe upon the
committee and in posi-
ton to represent our country in the
adjustments that are still pending.
of vast Importance to our own bust
ness and to the interests of Euro
peon countries. We fail to give
our influence fully to help quiet the
still disturbed conditions of Europe
to lessen the danger of economic
chaos that threatens that great con-
tinent, and which, if it happens, viii
affect US most seriously.
-u1d Help U. s. and Europe
''T" we looked at it only from
selfish standpoint, if we. did not
realize our duty to the troubled and
SIIffprino IF x1yl,t oI,
of course we do, the treaty should be
at once ratified without further de-
lay. I regret that it was not rati-
fed last November. 1 regretted at
the time the letter of the president
which seriously interfered with rati-
fication. 1 think that letter was a
blunder. I think the ground upon
which he put it was unsound.
He declared that the reservations
nullified. the treaty. Why, this was
account of its entire lack of accu-
racy. Nullify the treaty? Not at
all. Certain provisions of the treaty
were denied operation upon our coun-
try, but the real heart of the treaty
was left in for full operation.
Il maintain, Mr.. President that
those provisions on those reserva-
tions which relieve the United States
from the operation of certain fea-
lures of the treaty are essential and
right, and I do not believe anyone
can successfully contest the propo-
sition that each of these reservations,
where the United States is freed
from the effect of a provision Of the
league covenant, is a reservation es
sentill tc Americanism, essential to
the preservation Of the plan Of gov
eminent handed down to us by our
forefathers, and to which L am de-
voted. I have the privilege of know
ing that three of my ancestors fought
for the freedom of the colonies, one
from Virginia, one from North Caro-
Ina and one from Massachusetts.
They have given us by the offer Of
their lives the system of government
that blesses this country, and If God
spares my life l will never cast q
vote knowingly to sacrifice our plan
of government but l will seek to
hand it down to my descendants.
= Let US see whether the treaty
was nullified. Mark IL. I insist that
If the president had said certain pro-
visions of the treaty were nullified
he would have been right, and L add
that they ought to have been NULL
fed, but when the president says the
treaty. was nullified he used an un
fortunate expression.
What IL Left in Treaty
What is left in the treaty? That
has already been SO splendidly pre-
s nto' to you by senator's who have
preceded me that l hate to repeat
it. The senator from Montana (Mr
Myers), the senator from Idaho (Mr.
Borah)-I heard each of those two
senator's, and it would be impossi-
BILE for me to equal their convincing
presentations of the valuable provi.
sions of the treaty which are I'M
L.