The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-05-17
United States Supreme Court Again Fails To Decide Validity
OF National Prohibition Amendmen Recess Taken To June
In Conformity With the Obligation
Entailed in His Oath of Office the
Prediction is Made At Washington to
The Effect That President Wilson
Will Veto "Knox Peace Resolution

Washington, d. c.. May 17.0That
the president under his oath Of of.
flee to observe and support the con-
stitutlon of the United States vii!
veto the Knox peace resolution when
It reaches the White House. was fore
cast in the senate when Senator
Hitchcock, ranking democrat of the
Foreign Relations committee, asserted
that subterfuge propositions offered
by the republican majority in lieu
oG the peace treaty We're "all doomed
to defeat"
II Is possible that the two houses
Will agree on n composite peace res
olution" fashioned along the lines Of
the measures offered by Senator Knox
and Representative Porter, and It
will be approved by partisan majorit.
less in both houses after agreement
in conference committee. 1t will be
impossible, however, for the reso
luton to be passed over the veto of
the president.
In vetoing the peace resolution, the
president probably could find no bet.
LtI ItdSOIi liisil AhOAS
than q year ago by the republican
floor leader of the senate. Senator
Lodge. In a signed article in The
Forum, Senator Lodge wrote that it
would be dishonorable for the United
States to attempt to make a separ.
ate peace with Germany. 1t would
not be playing fair, he said, with the
allies of this government and would
amount to national dishonor
At that time, however, a separate
peace resolution was not contemplat-
ed. and Senator Lodge was candidly
discussing peace making by orderly
processes.
Senator Hitchcock reminded the
Senate that the republican majority
had made five attempts to frame
peace resolution to take the place of
constitutional peace treaty. The
first. ne said, was a declaration Of
peace, but Senator Knox discovered
that congress did not have the pow.
er to declare peace, that proposal hav.
ing been debated and rejected in the
constitutional convention. Finally he
said. the resolution as now present
ed proposed TO declare the war at an
end. Senator Hitchcock asked what dif.
ference there was between the two
propositions.
Congress has not power to declare
peace" said Senator Hitchcock, 80
now we have raised the interesting
distinction between declaring peace
and declaring war at an end. What is
the difference"
Senator Hitchcock recalled that in
december, 1918, Senator Lodge and
other Republican senator's were con-
demning all suggestions that the
United States make separate peace
with Germany. He quoted Senator
Lodges views in The Forum article,
which said in part:
We can not, in the first place,
made peace except in company with
our allies. 1t would brand US with. ever
lasting dishonor and bring ruin to us
also II we undertook to make a sep
arate peace"
DO the supporters of this pending
Knox resolution" asked Senator
Hitchcock, want to brand US with
NAAoHOioi anu UPON III
one provi,ion Of this resolution it is
stated that the United States does
not waive aly of its rights under the
treaty it has 'ejected. Could anything
be more ridiculous than to assume
and indicate tha> we have any rights
TO waive after We have refused to
ratify the treaty Which grants them?
THE ';eaty itseS provides that
"the treaty will entek into force for
each power at the date\of the deposit
OF ratification" Yet the Vending reso.
luton gravely provides thA, We waive
no rights under it as though we got
some rights by refusing to ratify the
treaty.
Altogether the five desperate at.
tempts to defy the constitution and
substitute a resolution for 4 treaty
make q fine display OF legislative
experimentation"