Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-11

tnat at any rate the great majority
party of the nation. the party which
expresses the true hopes and purposes
of the people of the country. intends TO
keep faithIwith them in peace rs we'll
as in war.
/ Mr.. Wilson is making tho same mis-
take hCro which he made Just before
/ the November election in 1918. when
he called upon the country to elect n
Dcmocratic Congress because the Re
publiCans could not be trusted TO pass
tn" necessary laws for successful
prosecution of the war. That blundCr
made certain the election of Rcpub-
licHn House of Representatives, which
was uncertain until the pre- election
/ proclamation was issued
Not only does his letter to the county
chairman in Oregon repeat the mistake
! in tactics of tho 1918 proclamation. but
it is based on false assumption of tho
! facts.
| In the first place, the Democratic
party is not 1.-THE great majority party
/ of the nation.
And in the second place the Demo.
.
treaty than is the Republican party.
An analysis of the vote on ratitra
tion shows this. OF the forty nine votes
cast in favor of ratification with the
| Lodge reservations twenty one were
cast by Democratic senator's and twCn-
weight by Republican senators. And
of the thirty five votes cast against
ratification twelve were by Republicans
! and twenty three by Democrats
/ Counting the senators paired and not
voting tho Democratic strength in tho
Senate stood twenty three for the
treaty with tho Lodge reservations and
twenty four against it. while the Re
publican strength stood thirty four for
tho treaty and fifteen against it.
Assuming that the twenty four
Democratic senators who voted against
the treaty with the Lodge reservations
are for tho treaty without any rcscfvu
tionS or interpretations. Mr.. Wilson :
great majority party Of tho nation"
which Intends TO keep faith with the
Allies i> as nearly evenly divided on the
issue aS it is possible for forty seven to
be separated into two equal parts.
The treaty issue cuts across party
lines. II anything was ever certain in
advance of the event it is that the treaty
cannot be ratified without some kind of
reservations. no matter whether tho Re
pubicanS or the Democrats have ma
iority in the Senate. 4 man intent on
securing ratification. If he were at all
skilled in the arts of achievement. would
perceive this fact and govern himself
accordingly.
But Mr.. Wilson seems to bc intent on
forcing the Republican party into n
position of hostility tn the treaty in
order that he may drive his own party
into support of it as he brought il back
from Paris in the hope that he can gain
partisan advantage thereby.
This is not n new purpose. Since the
Jackson Day dinner in Washington. in
January. il has been tho evident iutru-
tiOn Of the President to follow this
course. Mr.. organs disagreement with
him then did not make dent in the
induratcd fiber of his purpose. though
it revealed Ia every one else who did not
know it before that Mr.. Wilson's own
party was hOpcICSsIy split on the issue.
And when Mr.. Bryan said Yesterday
that tn" letter 10 Oregon showed that
Mr. Wilson had been denied the in
formation essential 10 sound Judgment
and safe leadership" hr merely called
attention 10 the width Of the cbasm
which separates the two wings of the
party.
But til" nation favorS the ratification
Of the treaty with such interpretations
or reservations n will satisfy the slIs-
capabilities of two thirds of the Sen
ate. II the SPnat" could have been left
to its own purposes unhampcrcd by
orders or lack Of orders from the White
House. there is little doubt that the
treaty would have been ratified long ago,
and that "" should have had an official
representative participating in the de
! libcrations of the San Reno conference
! aud that tn" League OF Nations would
have b"cu tun"tioning now for the re
/ lief Of the confusion which exists in
/ Europe at the present time.
The Presidents mind seems inrapa .
bIc' of cancellation or concession or
compromise. And because of il the
United States is suffering under tho
accusation of unwillingneSs to play tho
game through to the last hole.
We doubt whether Mr.. Wilson can
succeed in forcing the Republican party
into the position which ho wishes il n
occupy in the presidential campaign far
the reason that it is a position which