Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1920-01-08
Senator Hitchcock So Charae.
terizes Senator Knox's Al.
tack on Peace Treaty
INSANE FOREIGN POLICY
Amendment or Defeat of the Treaty
Would Be Commercial and Finan-
cial Disaster for America,
Says Nebraska Senator.

Washington (SpeciaD. = Declaring
that any amendment to the treaty of
peace, good or bad, reasonable or u
reasonable, means the defeat OF the
treaty with all its disastrous conse-
quences, Senator Hitchcock, OF
Nebraska, made a powerful speech in
the senate, urging that the treaty be
ratified withol Ii delay and without
amendment.
Referring TO the recent speech OF
Senator McCumber, Republican, of
North Dakota, who voted against the
Shantung amendment in the foreign
relations committee, Senator Hitch
cock said:
HE has shown that the proposed
amendment, instead of helping China,
deprives her of the benefit of the
promises and concessions the United
States has exacted from Japan. He
has shown that Japan is already in
possession of the German rights, priv
iliges and ~leaseholds. He has also
shown that Great Britain and France
are under pledge to Japan to stand
by her in her claim, and he has chal-
lenged the supporters of the proposed
amendment to show how China can
possibly be benefited unless when we
reject Japan's promises we propose
to go to war with her and drive her
out of Shantung for the benefit of
China.
Il think the senator from North
Dakota conclusively demonstrated the
folly of the proposed amendment as
far as it concerns China and the dan
ger it involved to the United States"
Senator Hitchcock then explained
the inevitable results if the senate
should vote in favor Of the Shantung
amendment or any other. He said that
one of two things would happen
go further" with the treaty, Or he
would have to submit the amendment
to the nations associated with the
United States in the war"
Does anyone believe" asked the
senator, that the other nations would
accept the Shantung amendment"
He pointed out that Great Britain has
already ratified the treaty and is I'M
der pledge to Japan with reference
to Shantung;N that France is soon to
ratify the treaty and is under the same
pledge to Japan.
Does anyone suppose that Japan
herself would submit to such a humil-
iation before the eyes of the world?'
asked Hitchcock. "The answer is
simple" he asserted. 1--WE would find
ourselves out in the cold, isolated
from the rest of the world"
What, then, will the United States
do? What will those American states
men propose who stand for this meth
cd of killing the treaty? Some of them
will say that congress can pass a joint
resolution declaring a state of peace
with Germany. Others say the United
States can negotiate a separate and
Independent treaty of peace with Ger
many. Those who talk this way evil
IDENTIFY have no conception of the enor-
mous benefits and advantages which
the United States derives from this
treaty, which we wrung from Ger
many at the lannon's mouth. Neither
have they any conception of the diff
culties involved in negotiating a new
treaty with Germany to establish the
terms of peace and settle the contro-
versies of the war.
ITO my mind, it would be suicidal
for the United States to throw away
the advantages and benefits provided
in the treaty. 1t would be disastrous
commercially and financially. 1t
would put us at an enormous disad-
vantage in our international relations
not only with Germany, but with those
nations which we would thus desert.
They would remain bound together by
ties of mutual interest. They would
enjoy the benefit Of the treaty and
would not be slow to take every sd-
vantage Of them. They would resent
u desertion.
up to this point, l have discussed
the possible defeat Of the treaty by
means Of proposed amendments to it.
That is the real program and hope
of the majority Of the committee on
foreign relations. 1t Is for that pur-
pose that the treaty has been locked
up in cold storage for SO many weeks.
The enemies Of the League of Nations
in the senate are not many compared
to its friends, but they control the
committee. They have felt justified
In retaining the treaty in the commit
tee, holding useless hearings and
making killing amendments with the
full knowledge that amendments
would beat the treaty Just as effec-
lively as a refusal to ratify.
IA few, a very few, senators have
declared that they would vote against
the treaty because OF the League OF