New-York tribune., 1920-05-16

treaty back with some message looking
to an adjustment of differences. The
Senate is purely to blame, and the
Chief Executive not entirely free from
blame, for the present status Of peace
negotiations"
'Of course, the real battle in the
Senate as to ratification turned on the
clauses relating to the league Of ma
tlons and not the clauses that termi-
mated the war with Germany" said
Senator Underwood. After many
months debate the Senate was unable
to reach a conclusion on ratification
Then the majority party took the re-
sponslbllity of returning the treaty to
the President without either amend
ment or suggested amendment. In
that way the treaty was rejected
by the majority party in so far as
it was possible for them to do So
And when they returned it to the Pres
ident with all it's details intact they
confessed that they had rejected it,
whether they meant to do 50 or not
Under the ciYcum stances it could not
be expected that the President would
proceed further with the negotiations
unless 1t be indicated to him that some
amendments would be agreed to which
were satisfactory to him, and no such
suggestion was made.
1T it was the purpose merely to re-
Ject the league of nations and secure
ratification of peace it was in the
power of the Senate's majority to
amend the treaty by striking out all
clauses relating to the covenant of the
league and ratifying the rest. If that
had been done all there is in this reso-
luton would have been accomplished
and more, because the German govern
ment is party to this treaty only SO
far as the terms of peace are con-
cerned and not in relation to the league
Of nations. The opportunity of ac-
ceptance or rejection of that plan was
not presented to the President. The
party in control, when it returned the
treaty without amendment, foreclosed
the opportunity to make peace"
Jackson Day Letter Quoted
Senator Underwood said he had never
as important, but opposed the pending
resolution because it necessitated max
ing separate peace. Senator Hitch
cock interrupted to say that in his
! Jackson Day letter President Wilson
declared it was "unthinkable that the
United States would enter a separate
peace. with Germany" At this point
Senator Shields injected himself into
the debate, saying:
| In MS leCCeT 10 ino OupTelne OOuuCll
few weeks ago the President said
that unless terms were made for settle
ment of the Adriatic situation satisfac-
tory to him he. would withdraw the
treaty. That would have necessitated a
separate treaty with Germany, because
it is unthnkable that he would have
been expected to keep the country at
war with Germany forever"
eve must either ratify or be driven
to separate peace, because under this
resolution we cannot resume diplomatic
relations with that government" con-
tinued Senator Underwood.
Senator Knox declared: "Diplomatit
and consular relations cannot, OF
course, be established except by arrange
ment with Germany but if this resolu-
tion is adopted, supplemented by the fact
that we ceased hostilities more than &
year and half ago, Of course, it woulC
be the Presidents duty in such circum-
stances to make such an arrangement
and it was because / did not want te
rub it in on the President that ! was
willing to accept the Lodge amendment
to strike out of the resolution the pro
vision requiring the President to make
new treaty. That would not be 6
treaty of peace, but treaty of comfy
and commercial relations. You car
make peace without treaty"
Senator Knox called attention to the
fact that the State Department had de
nounced the commercial treaty with
Russia in 1911, and from that time til
now there has been no commercial
treaty between that country and thu
United States.