The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-05-07
Deep IMPRESSION
BY SENATOR kNOx'S
APPEAL FOR PEACE
RY DAVID LAw1ENCB,
Icopyrigat By The Intsntg encsr)

WASHINGTON, d. c.. May 6.--Prcsi-
ient Wilson has waited in silence loF
The men who defeated the treaty Of Yer
Sailles in the Senate to offer an alter
native course OF action. Senator Phlian-
de- &. Knox, former secretary OF stat"
and Republican leader. a member or IN"
grouu Hrreco1p,k klably opposed to the
treaty with or without reservations. mas
spoken in defense OF the plan 10 maKe
peace by congressional! resolution: tt
So far as this brings out at last the
lines of battle, il marks step tor~aru
toward the great contest at the polls
where the issue Will be decided IN 80
far as it emphasizes the deadlock pc
tween the executive and legislative
branches OF the government. II breathes,
anew the passion Of personal Strlte ana
party bitterness which has prcFehIsu
agreement for so long. .,
The Pennsylvania senator's SpeeCh
made 4 deep Impression. II was care
fully prepared and skilfully pteced TO-
gcthcr. But is was arowedly a oeStTuSI
tive criticisn--ap analysis ot Hha1 Iau @
been done with the might have done.
what should be proposed at faris. !,
doesn't propose any concrete or genera
nlan for action in the face Of the today
situation beyond vague suggesll9E III
an Intc rnational conference Some ua!
Where European nations shall be per
Suaded to give up the provisions Oh tne
treaty which they have already ratl-
new basis OF international law
honesty OF Knox
Rut Senator Knox makes an honest
presentation OF tho viewpoint or the lr-
reconcilables. He doesn't take reLuse
behind the cry for proper resea 1l sS
ions" He brushes. aside as untrue all
thn talk about 'Americanizing the treaty
with reservations" INDUCED IN ,.GES US
Mcssrs. Lowden. Harding. Wood NuI
HAYS and others. He defines the issue
exactly as Senator Htran Johnson H"1 ss,1
( SUCCESSFUL
mpi,rnrr campaign. lie is against the
whole treaty and the League.
Here Is the most interesting para
graph in the speech:
nroposed in the senate Americanlze 'he
league. This, OF course. is not true: n
more accurate statements OF tne entCS
OF those reservations Is that tneS tsnu
10 make IL safer for -\mer!ca TO enter
tho league BY refusing to be nounu IN
many important matters by It's action
But Il Is not enough that the league
shall be made safe for AMERICA II mus
he made safe for all who enter X ana
safe for the world. AS l see IL, nothins
could be fraught with more danger than
any nation having Il speclaIS lhseseu
relation to y league where lhs oeneI
members are subject to the Dangers
arainst which the immune nations at
Icmpts to secure itself.
The ExplanAtion-
The foregoing is exactly ~hat
dent Wilson has contended IN nus pp
pnsition 10 reservations, and VIII Gx-
piain 10 the historian OF the future why
senator Knox and the trreconclIaple hc-
publicans voted with tine administrator
Democrats against the Lodge reserNa-
lions and thus prevented the treaty troii.
%nttinT the necessary two-thirds. 1t
Inakes IL possible for the president 10
insi:,, that the Republican, party rs uon-
mated by the viewpoint oil SenaSpr ,I:
Knox and Hiram Johnson ana not oS
senator Lodge 1t toreShadows the III
Vision of voters into three parties On
the treaty issue at last.
Senator Knox marshaileu p ~,
after precedent to prove that peace 0y
Joint resolution Is as effective icSaiEy
AS "A treaty OF peace. There lSn pII
of doubt that il President Wlison nap
pened TO be on the olher sloc oi 'ne ne
fence those same precedents would 90
marshalled by him. No doubt exists
here that hostilities have ended i'll the
war with Germany and that Tor all
practical purposes the war IS At al euu
The Constitution
the United States Isn't very eNpucit
and both sides can debate from now
until dooms day about the respective OF
each branch OF the government; ma
unless a case were brought TO the Su-
preme Court OF the United states. some
hing that takes many months 20 oElhS
about. So the President Is determlneu
the Senate as il did the house ana
everybody admits that II VIII be neNI
TO impossible TO get two th.ruS vote
10 pass the resolution over the Presi-
dents veto This is SO universally con-
coded that Congress Is getting reaeS
10 take n summer recess in rev weeks
while the conventions and campaign are
ON. The Knox speech Is campaign mat
rrial. .ho
PRESIDENT Wilson will add fuel to the
. flames very soon by returning the
treaty Of Versailles as his answer ID
attempts 10 make peace by resolution.
But he has generally expected to turn
over a new leaf and so phrase his stale
nent accompanying the treaty as TO
leave open the paths OF compromise on
reservations That Is the way he wants
10 have the matter rest as the three
factions in the dispute argue the case
before the great American jury-the Re
uublicans torn between irreconcllable
opposition to the whole treaty and the
Lodge reservations and the Democrats
soudly behind the Wilson viewpoint.
That's where the rub comes, however.
as William Jennings Bryan and others
in the Democratic fold are themselves
irreconcilibly opposed to Article 10 ana
other things which the President thinks
fundamental. Mr.. Wilson may no. be
the candidate but from now lie Will night
TO make that San Francisco convention
endorse his viewpoint on the treaty
ipta reservations.