The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-01-01
pEACE JANINNY o.

when the treaty Of peace was laid before
the United Statos senate July TO- tho country
was advised that the adherence ~ this country
was condition precedent TO the establishment
Of peace. THAT meant We must endorse tho
"ork ot the Versailles conference. covenant and
ALL before the war could be officially ended.
whom on November 49, the senate rejected
the treaty without reservations Amtlcanlzlng II,
and the president rejected 81 with such rcacr.
vations. we were told that We had made peace
Impossible. that II would not be possible for
he other countries sEnatpry to the pact To
enforce It's terms. And when the German dele
cation refused 10 sign the protocol at this
time. gentlemen on both Sides Of the water
declared that tho senate had revived the Ger
man splrit and that the war must be fought
over again.
Tho covcnan,crs OF both England and
Fancc wcrc downcast. they could not under
stand how the prcsidcurs signature could be
dlshonored, they trcmbled before the posslblll-
ties OF America changing hor decision.
This temporary.
Left 10 themselves, and at last rcconciled to
the fact the parties directly Interested In the
mnttcr-England France and Germany-bcgan
10 discuss their troubles free from tho inter
ference Of an outside party with a hobby They
made progress. The thing that was utterly i'm
possible December 1. ls an accomplished fact
January /. The Germans have signed tho pro-
tocol. and the other nations. not only left free
to work out their own salvation but forced by
the exigencles OF the to do 50. find It pos
sIbe TO agree that the peace treaty shall be-
como effective January G.
Thcrc is wonderful lesson here for all con-
ccrned. II is that those directly affected by
quarrel are best able to determine the sottle-
mcnt. The rule is not To men OF practical
affairs 1t has long been known.
There IN not the slightest doubt in the mind
OF any practical man of affairs but that tho
peace treaty would havo been signed and pre-
war conditions re-esablshed by March t. 1919,
had tho nations directly affected been left FREQ
TO follow their natural bent
II is equally true, too, that peace would have
been officially declared and the covenant prob
ably accepted. by the middle of the summer, had
tho complete work OF the conference been ac-
cepted by the president on his return to France
In March. For the treaty ready for the
Germans at that time it's very provision unani-
mously agreed to by the Representatives OF all
nations. including the United States. The cove
nant of the league then a separate docu-
ment
But the determination OF tho president was
to force something down the throat of the sem
ate, And IN that determination is rooted all the
delay in the re-estabshment Of peace.
what England and France and Germany have
discovered Is that II is possible for them to work
together better by ourselves than under the
tutelage OF an outsider. Nor is this strange.
They are neiehbors. They are, after all. kindred
In many things to which the outsider Is rank
stranger, Economically and politically they
more closely and naturally allied. than
either possibly he to the outsider.
And no matter what tho outsider might wish.
the things all are striving for, peace and good
will, is utterly outside Of the question until "A
perfect neighborly understanding exists between
the three OF them.
The demand for the acceptance of the cove
nant by the United States Is diminishing in Lon
don and Paris and Berlin, Because 1t Is APP
parent to the statesman OF all these capitals
that II the United states does give It's APPROVAL.
II will he on terms that vii safeguard the in
tcrests of the United States in its traditional
national viewpoint
And that is what the statesmen OF neither
OF them desired.
As the year 1920 dawns there is in most OF
the capitals OF the world general recognition
cheerful acquiescencc that suggests a conviction
alomst as general that this, after all. ia best
why should Washington alone hesltate2 The
reason is clear II is not because of statecraft,
hut because Of politics. All this talk Of COM
promising issues that should be beyond com
promise; that should never have been created
n the first place II thoy were appropriate sub
iryts for compromise springs from an unwill-
ngncss TO let this issue go into the campaign.
Tho light OF reason is clear and Illuminating
senator Knox pointed the way with his resolu-
uon Under that resolution this country be-
comes the beneficiary Of all the peace terms of
the treaty. Let the American people instruct
as 10 what further participation IN the affairs Of
the Old world it is their will their government
should engage.
Representative Scott Ferris tells Washington
that oklahoma is for owen Tor president with