The evening world., 1920-01-15
THE KIND OF COMPROMISE.

lie MINI OF SUMFkUMIOE.
THE United States Senate cannot ignore the purpose
for which spokesman from twenty-six great or
ganizations national in standing and membership, pre-
scned themselves this week at the Capitol in Wash
! ington.
Through the civic and industrial bodies represented,
upwards Of twenty million Americans voiced their
earnest desire. Twenty million Americans took this
means of conveying straight to Washington urgent,
imperative demand for immediate ratification of the
Peace Treaty. with its League of Nations covenant "on
basis that will not require its re-negotiation"
The latter phrase is significant of an overwhelming
volume OF national sentiment as TO where the line of
compromise must lie.
"Such reservations as may secure in the Senate the
necessary twohirdS vote "mst be reservations which
will not proong the exclusion of the United States
from peace and from partnership in the League of
Nations.
In other words, the will of majority of the people
OF the United States requires that Senators shall ap-
proach compromise with the paramount purpose of
putting this Nation straightway into the position it is
entitled to occupy in peace and in the League
The larger concessions must therefore come from
Senators whose avowed views and aims have been
such as to make amendments or reservations which
would be acceptable to them least likely to be accepted
by the other nations concerned
Americans are not bartehng away the sovereignty
and rights of the United States
But neither are they backing game of bluff in
which patriotism is used as a cover by Senators who
are perfectly willing to 60 on affronng other nations
and poSponing peace for as long as they see chance
of turning party trick or scoring against the President
Once Senators convince the country that the bluff
and the party politics are put aside and that they are
getting together with the genuine conviction that the
treaty they ratify must be treaty which will not have
to be negotiated all over agair-once Senatorial con-
feences tend frankly to direct reconcing of honest
differences for the swift realization of one definite end,
there will be no more objections to compromise.
The President will not reject treaty interpreted
and ratified in that spirit.
No formal obligation to stand by the product of the
peace negotiations in which he conferred and con1pro-
missed with the representatives of other nations at Paris
will require the President to turn down reservations for
which the Senate is responsible provided the reasons
for them can be sought and found in honest Senatorial
purpose.
college and university ballot shows that of 92,466
votes cast by students and faculty in some 400 such
institutions, 65,578 favor compromise which would
lead to immediate ratification of the treaty in form
that will admit this country to peace and the League
without delay.
The result of the college ballot is significant But
far more impressive and compelling is the pressure
concentrated upon those who are obSructing peace by
the twenty-Six organizations representing one-ffth of
the population of the United States.
| No more convincing expression of public sentiment
was ever registered at Washington.
The Senate is no longer in any true sense repre-
sentative body if ii fails to give prompt heed to this
proof of the countryS demand.