Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-03
KNOX PEACE PLANS
TO Be LIVE ISSUE
OF THE CAMPAIGN
Democrats Will Put No Obstacles
in Way Of Resolution Coming
to Early Vote.
CUMMINGS SAYS ACT is
G.. o. P. MORAL LEPROSY
correspondence Hal timorc Sun.


Washington, May 2.-Under the leader
ship of Senator Oscar w. Underwood,
the Democrats of the Senate will present
substantially a solid front against the
Knox peace resolution, but there wild be
nc minority filibuster against the resolu-
ton.
Ii WAS learned authoritativclv today
that the Democratic program contemplates
meeting the Republican resolution with
out resort to the hlibuster and the Senate
Democrats will put no obstacle IN the
way of an early vote.
Furthermore, the practically solid
alignment of the Democrats, which now
seems assured means that it will be inn
possible TO pass the peace resolution over
the veto of the President. The resolution
will be adopted by almost a strict party
vote, sent to the White House, where it
Is considered certain a veto awaits, and
then the issue of the peace treaty an d
peace by resolution will be projected
into the campaign.
That the President will return the
Treaty of Versailles to the Senate when
he vetoes the so-called peace resolution
Is the expectation of Senate Democrats.
No official information to this effect has
come to Senator Underwood and other
Administration supporters, but they be-
heve such move by the President would
be both logical and psychological.
\ canvass of the situation on the
Democratic side of the Senate indicates
that, with the exception of possibly three
or four votes, the minority will vote
against the Knox resolution. On the
other side. there is the possibility that
Senator McCumber. mild reservation
list. will vote with the Democrats in OPP
position To the peace proposal
Practical party solidarity of this sort
precludes any prediction that the peace
resolution may be passed over the Presi-
dental veto.
Homer 5. Cummings, chairman of the
Democratic National Committee. last night
made public a statement IN which he
said the Knox peace resolution was ere
newed evidence Of the moral leprosy
which Is eating the heart out OF the
Republican party Cummings said in
the name of peace the resolution pro
poses dishonor."
puested the President to commence ne
gotiations for a separate peace with
Germany, attempted by a paper resolu-
tion 10 terminate a state of war, at
tempted to take advantage OF the Yer
ssiiies treaty without becoming a party
to the treaty proper, and that 1t also
asked that negotiations be commenced
for separate peace with Austria.
''If any group of leaders a year ago
had dared to suggest that we should
abandon our Allies and negotiate sep
arate treaty of peace they would have
found themselves isolated and discredited,'
he declared.
Asserting there is but one clear path
of duty, and that to ratify the peace
treaty, Mr.. Cummings said that there
had been no time since the Republicans
entered into power in Congress that
there had been ANYTHING but confusion,
snd this frantic attempt to find a legal
method in which to do q dishonorable
thing merely adds to the confusion" he
insisted.
Democrats in the Senate likely to vote
with the Republicans for the adoption
of the peace resolution are Reed of Mis-
souri: Gore, Oklahoma, and Walsh, Mas
sachusetts, all bitter-end opponents of
the peace treaty.
The Democrats do not intend to offer
the peace treaty as an amendment to
or substitute for the Knox resolution
Such move would be without the pale
of parliamentary procedure, because the
peace resolution Is a legislative document
and the peace treaty iS-a document OF
to be considered in executiv
session Of the Senate The peace treaty.