The Penn's Grove record., 1920-10-01
Senatorial Insult Without Foundation

1t is stated that President Wilson
brought the Peace Treaty home and
insisted upon it being ratified by the
Senate without the dotting of an i or
crissing a t. He brought the first
draft home in February, 1919. 1t was
published to the world. 1t was the
first peace treaty ever published to the
world, for consideration and revision.
The Senate was consulted. Sugges-
lions were not only asked from the
Senators, but from leading men of the
Nation.
The Independent, May oath 1919,
said:
1t is we'll for the Republicans to re-
member that Messrs. Taft, Lodge,
Hughes and Root easily their most in
luential and competent men have all
made suggestions for the improvement
of the Covenant and that these have
been substantially adopted in the re-
vised draft by President Wilson and
the Peace Conference.
All four urged that % the Monroe
Doctrine be specially recognized, (2)
domestic questions be reserved from
the jurisdiction of the League, and (3)
secession be permitted.
Messrs. Taft, Lodge and Hughes
suggested that (1) the language of
the Covenant be revised, and (2) the
Council should act by unanimous vote.
Mr.. Root proposed that Q) j%ustici-
able questions be referred to arbitra-
ton, (2) they be defined, (3) provision
be made for a general conference to
international law, (4) any
nation may be relieved of its obliga-
ton to guarantee independence of
League members after five years, (5)
the League shall have full power to
ornaments, and (6) the Cove
nant shall be revised at the end of five
OF ten years.
Mr.. Hughes advised that (1) no ma
ton shall be a mandatory without its
consent, and (2) the provision for the
guarantee of the independence of
League members as against external
aggression be entirely stricken out.
A comparison of the tentative draft
of February IA with the revised draft
April % shows that the Conference
has adopted in toto the three sugges-
tons in which the four distinguished
Republicans concur as well as the two
recommendations in which Messrs.
Taft, Lodge and Hughes unite. In
addition they have completely incor-
porated Mr.. Roots second and Mr..
Mr.. Roots first point, whereas Mr..
Roots first, third and sixth points are
substantially recognized in the origi-
nal draft. They have failed to adopt
only Mr.. Roots fourth and fifth
and Mr.. Hughes's second.
In other words, in the five cardinal
instances where more than me of
these eminent, constitutional lawyers
have united on any particular point
their recommendations were adopted,
whereas in the less important cases
only one man made the sug-
gestion, two were adopted, three were
partially recognized and but
three were rejected.
1t is perfectly clear, therefore, that
as all of Mr.. Taft's and Mr.. Lodges
five suggestions have been accepted,
and as Nh. Hughes got six out of his
points and Mr.. Root four out of
his nine, with three partially recog-
nized the Republican Party need not
worry about it's prestige in the peace
negotiations in the coming Presiden-
tial election. In fact it would not be
stretching a point too far for the Re-
publicans to welcome the new draft as
a Republican victory. If they do not
claim it as a victory they will have to
accept it eventually as a defeat, for as
President Wilson we'll said: "No party
has a right to appropriate this issue
and no party will in the long run dare
to oppose it."