The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-06-28

Chicago, that the President blocked | and postponed peace.
 The trouble with the Treaty of Peace is that it was negotiated byi a Democratic President. It is not difficult to assess the responsibility for it's defeat The responsibility rests, not upon its friends, but upon its enemies.
 The Foreign Relations Committee, following the last cleo ton, was reorganized with a person nel consisting of the open foes of the Treaty, Amongst the number was Senator Borah, who declared that he would not be for a League of Ma iens, were the Savior of mankind to advocate it. Senator Johnson, Sem ater Knox and Senator Moses, whose hatred of the President amounts to an ebsession, were also members; and Senator Lodge was chairman.
 The Treaty was referred to the Committee thus studiousfy prepared for its hostile reception. The mem .bers of this committee adopted every subterfuge to misrepreSent the docu- ment which they were supposed to be considering as statesmen. Depu- tatfons of foreign born citizens wSie | to color and exaggerate the impress sion of popular opposition.
 The Senate had even begun the discussion of the Treaty months be- fore it's negotiations was concluded, and did not terminate it's debate un til nine months after the submission of the Treaty. It took the Senate nearly three times as long to kill the Treaty by protraoted debate and by confusing and nullify1us amendments and reservations as it took the repre- sentatives of the allied governments to draft it.
 It was not the business of the President, when he brought this Treaty back from France, to join with MT. Lodge and other Republi- can leaders in their deliberate pur- pose to destroy it. Had he initiated, suggested or aSSented to changes which would have substantially al tered its nature, it would have been a distinct breach of faith with his associates of the Peace Council and a violation of American pledges. Everyone acquainted with diplomatic usages, or with the plain requirernents of honesty, understands this. The foolish invention that the President refused to permit the dotting of an ''i'' or the crossing of a '-t'' has been so often repeated that many honest people believe in its truth.
 In every speech made during his tour, the President stated entire will lingness to accept any and all re- servations not incompatible with Americas honor and true interests. It is the plain intent of the covenant that the Monroe, Doctrine is excluded, that domestic questions are exempted, that not one American can be sent out of the country without formal ac- tion by Congress and that the right of withdrawal is absolute. If there are words which can make their meanings clearer, they will be wei comed. It is not reservations that the President stands against, but nullifi- cation.,
 When the President came back from Paris = in February, 1919, he brought the first tentative draft of the covenant of the League of Ma tions. He gave publicity to it. It l was published throughout the land He invited the friends of such a League to submit criticisms. Former President Taft offered four amend ments; former Senator Root offered six amendments; and MT. Hughes sug- | gested seven. At a meeting of the 1 Committee on Foreign Relations al 1 the White House in March, 1919 | other changes were suggested. These amendments were taken back by the | President to Paris and their substance was actually incorporated in the re-
 vised draft of the League. Dr. Low 1 ell, President of the Harvard Univer- I sity, in his joint debate with Senator | Lodge, invited the latter to suggest | constructive amendments which the President might incorporate in the l draft; but he refused to do so. Il. l no time has he offered constructive amendments. At no time has he fail | ed to offer destructive criticism. Sc
 intolerant was his attitude that he | would not even consider a compro-
 mise proposed by former President 1 Taft of his own party and whicE | was assured of the support of fortl 1 Demo ratio Senators. Senator Lodge
 knew that he controlled the Senate l and that in his own time and way
 he would destroy the Treaty.
 This is the sordid story of it's de. | feat. No blacker crime against civ. | ilization has ever soiled the pages o1 | our history. The last chapter wa! 1 written at Chicago.
 1 The Republican platform not onl, repudiates the League of Nations, bu praises, without discrimination, all o1
 
 ipated in it's defeat. Its words O. | benediction fall alike upon, the ire
 concilab1es, the Lodge reservation iStS, the mild reservationstS, an6 l those. who proposed a separate peac' | with Germany. It is consistent il one thing only, the recognition of thu
 fact that the open foes of the Treat. the secret foes of the Treaty, and thu apparent friends of the Treaty wht | conspired with it's enemies, are equal lly responsible for the destruction O the instrument itself. It would b.
 idle to inquire by what political leg erdemain this meaningless and ye
 omnibus declaration was prepared. I is enough to know that the "Olt
 Guard" sold the honor of America fo
 the privilege of nominating a reac
 tionary for President.
 The Cause of Peace
 The war had set a great task fo
 statesmanship. The best thought o
 the world demanded that a seriou
 attempt be made by the leaders ef tn allied governments to formulate