The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-02-24
A YEAR OF TALK,

~ '''''f''Ar - Q
cbratcd with considerable NOISE
the first anniversary of the sign
inc of the almistice Another All
niycrsary passed when the sen
ate completcd-not the work OF
ratiGyng the treaty. oh, no-ltS
first year of talking about il II
would be hopeless task to at
tempt to review what the sena-
tors have had to say about il, but
one word-nothing-tells com
plctely what has been accom-
plished says the Muskogee
Phoenix
From the standpoint of the al
lies it begins to look like Amer
lea acted in bad faith The Eu-
ropean mind, thinking logically
it not sympathetically, is begin
ming to understand what an
American means when he says, |
should worry. The situation
must look something like this to
him: America can afford to
treat lightly the financial side OF
the treaty. In the first place she
has grown enormously wealthy
out OF the war while we have be-
come miscrably poorer Amerl-
ca S share Of the indemnity IS Sc
cure regardless Of whether 1t
ratifies the treaty. She has seized
all the German ships she could
lay hands on and she has control
of hundreds Of millions OF dol
lars worth Of German property
III America which she probably
will manage to keep ratification
or no ratification. The senate
OF the United States seems to be
deliberately putting our country
in d position where il cannot de-
fond itself against such charges.
While these thoughts arc
creeping INTO the European mind
we arc wrapping ourselves in the
cloak Of sef-1ightcousness and
saying il doesn t matter what
people think Of us as long as our
conscience is clear. We can't af-
ford that attitude. We may not
like to deal with European conn-
tries IN the future. To be
regarded as a nation that has
no regard for its word or ma
ton that fights for time when
confronted with the necessity Of
paying its obligations will do us
no good. Borah and Reed have
no argument when they say it
was all Wilson s fault He was
our representative. And about a
year and balf ago. though some
didn { like the idea of his going
to Europe, they admitted he was
pretty good representative.
1t is ridiculous fight these
bitter enders are waging. They
have everything to lose for
America and nothing to gain.
Neither President Wilson nor
anybody else could abrogate the
constitution nor rob congress of
its rights We would have TO
change the constitution itself be
fore the act of joining amy kind
'of a League Of Nations would
compel Us TO commit acts of war
without authority of congress.
Any constitutional lawyer will
tell You that. But the Reed-Gore-
3orah aggregation don talk
their nonsense TO men who under
stand constitutional law or who
have gHmption enough to ask an
honest lawyer 10 explain il TO
them. But if this is, as they say,
their object, they could have ac-
coniplished it long ago. There
could have been no objection
from the allies. Mr. Wilson or
the treaty friends in congress to
including such guarantee -nn-
less it would be IN spirit Of
disgust with man who could
not see that no negotiator has
power to override the constitu-
tion of the United States The
allies understood this. it would
seem that some senators, stupid
as they are. must also under
stand it. Unless they are utter
fools there is only one eXplana-
! ton Of their fight WILLINGNESS