Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-07-20
LODGES DEMOCRATIC SUP
PORT
New York World.)

XV
can friends evidently hope to
make much of the fact that twenty
one Democratic Senators voted last
March IN favor of the ratification of
the treaty with the Lodge reserva-
lions. IE perfect candor, they
should explain the circumstances that
led to this action.
For many weary months the treaty
lad been under consideration The
Senate was divided into three groups
those who favored accepting the
treaty as signed, those who openly
advocated its rejection and those
who avowed a willingness to concur
provided they could attach to the
document certain reservations or
amendments more or less multiplying
in character.
Efforts at reasonable compromise
having failed, it became evident that
unless we were to remain indefinitely
in state of war and decline to take
any part in restoring tranquility to
a disordered world, the treaty with
the Lodge disclaimers would have to
be ratified as the only escape from
an intolerable situation. The decis-
ion of the twenty-one Democratic
Senators, Endorsed by The. World at
the time, was not an agreeable one.
1t was made of necessity as the re-
suit of a predicament deliberately
brought about by partisan and per-
sonal malice.
In support of this position, lib
eral opinion in England, France and
Italy, while regretting the limita-
lions placed upon the cooperation
of the great Republic, was clearly
favorable to ratification on the best
terms to be had. AS in the treaty it.
self there never was any purpose to
commit the United States beyond it's
constitutional powers, men like Lord
Grey in England and Andre Tardieu
in France, taking the larger view,
made it known that American parti-
cipation, even though hesitating and
in some respects obstructive, was es-
sential not only to the preservation
of the fruits of victory and the res
establishment of peace but to the
renewal of international law.
The response of our bitter-enders
to all this will be that Europe was
merely placing new bait in the trap
by which it hoped to entangle US
forever in an enterprise certain to
place us at disadvantage. In point
of truth, what was wanted of the
! United States was leadership, and
every day that passes proves the
case. We have failed the world in
its extremity not because it was dan
gerous to our institutions to do our
duty but because a Senatorial junta
has found it politically profitable to
betray our allies and to leave I'M
finished the mighty task in which
we sacrificed so much blood and
| treasure.
OF all the falsehoods used to dis
credit the League of Nations none
is more preposterous than that por-
traying this association as one of
extreme peril to US. Puissant as
the League may appear to be, it is
one of the weakest combinations now
in existence. 1t begins it's career
with hope rather than with power
No one can say whether it will last
year or a decade. Every expecta-
ton held out by it depends upon the
good faith of men and parties and
nations. 1t is an experiment only.
If it grows, it's development will be
SLOW If it fails, its COLLAPSE will be
due to just such wretched suspicious
and intrigues as we have witnessed
in our Senate.
The twenty-one Democratic Sena-
tors who voted for the pitiful Lodge
reservations did not approve of
them. They approved the League of
Nations in spite of these and other
handicaps.