Evening star., 1920-01-09
Mr.. Bryan Says Let Senate
Majority Rule; Ratify Pact

LOT great service CcIic " ohS p'Ae
as now presents itself to our party.
But opportunity brings RESPONSE
bility. Much is required OF those TO
whom much is given. A soldier Is a
soldier until his day of opportunity
comes, after that, he is either a nero
or a coward. So with the party, op-
portunities improved become step
ping stones to success: opportunities
neglected are millstoneS about the
party's neck.
Urges Expressi0n OF Views
1.-The OPPORTUNITIES now offered are
as large as the ma ton and as wide
as the world. In this hour when We
take council together for the coming
campaign, it is the duty OF each
member of the party, as l take it, to
present the situation as he sees 1t,
without stopping to inquire whether
his views are shared by others. One
cannot call a mass meeting to de-
termine what to think: the theory of
democracy is that all think and give
expression to their thought and then
conclusions are reached by compari-
SOL of views.
Permit me, therefore. to present
the more important of these oppor-
tunities as l see them. The nations
are entering upon a new era: old
is dawning everywhere. Our nation
is the only great nation in posi-
tion to furnish the moral leadership
required The nations of Europe are
busy with their own problems; our
people are the only ones disinterested
enough to be trusted by all, and the
democratic party is the party whose
ideas best fit it for the task of lead
ership in such a work.
President "Did Best He Could.7
"a democratic President was the
spokesman of the United States
in holding out to a war-worn world
the hope of universal peace, and
he brought back from Paris the
covenant of. the league of nations
that provides means for settling
international disputes without re-
sort to force. He did the best he
could. and succeeded better than We
remember that he fought single
handed against the selfish interests
of the world.
"The republican party, in control
of the Senate, instead Of ratifying
at once or promptly proposing
changes that it deemed necessary,
has fiddled while civilization has
been threatened with conf1agration.
1t could have adopted it's reserva-
tions as well five months ago as
later, but it permitted endless de-
bate while suffering humanity
waited.
Stood With Mr. Wilson.
''The democratic senators stood
with the President for ratification
without reservation, and I stood
with them. believing that it was
better to secure within the league,
after it was established, any neces-
sary changes, than to attempt to
secure them by reservations in the
ratifying resolutions. But our plan
has been rejected and we must face
the situation as it is. We must
either secure such compromises as
may be possible or present the is
sue to the country. The latter
course would mean delay of at
least fourteen months and then
success only in ase of our secur-
ing a two-thirds majority in the
Senate.
I'VE cannot afford. either as citi-
zens or as members of the party.
to share with the republican party
responsibility for further delay;
we cannot go before the country
on the issue that such an appeal
would present. The republicans
have a majority in the Senate. and.
therefore. can by right dictate the
Senate's course. Being in the MI
nority, we cannot demand the right
to decide the terms upon which the
Senate will consent to ratification.
Our nation has spent 100000 pre-
cious lives and more than twenty
billions Of dollars to make the
world safe for democracy, and the
one fundamental principle OF
democracy is the right Of the ma
jority to rule. 1t applies to the
Senate and to the House as well
as to the people. According to the
Constitution, a treaty is ratified by
a two-thirds vote, but the demo-
cratic party cannot afford to take
advantage of the constitutional
right of minority to prevent
ratification. A majority of Con-
gress can declare war. Shall we
make it more difficult to conclude
a treaty than to enter war?
Cites Article x.
Neither can we go before the
country on the issue raised by
Article X If we do not intend to
impair the right Of Congress to de-
eide the question of peace or war
when the time for action arises,
how can we insist upon a moral
obligation to go to war which can
have no force or value except as
it does impair the Independence
of Congress? We owe it to the
world to join in an honest effort
to put an end to war forever, ana
that effort should be made at the
earliest possible moment.
"A democratic party cannot be
a party of negation; it must have
a construction program. 1t must
but it must have a plan for the
election of delegates and a policy
to be pursued by those delegates.
What plan can democratic party
have other than one that contem-
plates the popular election Of those
delegates, who, in the influence
they viii exert, will be next in i'm
portance to the President himself?
And what policy can the demo-
league of nations other than one
of absolute independence and i'm
partiality between the members OF
the league? Our nations voice
should at all times be raised In be-
half Of equal and exact justice be-
tween nations as the only basis of
permanent peace: It should be
raised in defense Of the right Of
self-determination and in pro-
as universal as the peace which
Refers to Domestic Problems.
I'VE have domestic problems also
which offer an opportunity to
render large service, ana one OBJ
lection to thrusting the treaty
into the campaign is that it would
divert attention from questions
demanding Immediate considera-
ton. We are confronted with the
organization Of new parties, on the
theory that the old parties do
not meet the issues that have
arisen. Our party is the one party
that can qualify for the meeting Of
these issues. 1t can oppose class
party because it is not itself the
party Of a class. but the party of
the whole people. regardless OF
class. The republican party has
become a capitalistic party and
has permitted tariff barons to
write the tariff laws, trust mag