New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-03
History of Bitter Fight
In Senate against Treaty
League Covenant, Especially
Article X, Basis OF Struggle
4 gainst Ratification by u. S.

The resolution establishing peace be-
tween the United States and Germany
and Austria was the final outgrowth of
the long fight over the peace treaty,
which began in the Senate in Deem
Der, 1918, At that time Senator KEEL
logg, Republican, of Minnesota, who
afterward became one of the mild res
ervationists," made speech in favor
of the general idea of league of ma
tions.
Senator Williams, of Mississippi, also
favored the league, but Senator Reed
of Missouri, and Senator Borah, of
Montana, attacked it bitterly Senator
Knox, of Pennsylvania, urged an alli-
ance of the great powers instead Of a
world league, and the League of Ma
tions opponents in the Senate laid
their plans for fight against the in
clusion of any such provision in the
treaty.
After the opening Of the peace con-
ference in Paris, January 10, 1919, the
discussion of the League Of Nations in
the Senate continued with bitter in
tensity. The President was kept in
formed by cable of the progress of the
tight, and when he came home at the
end of February, to be present at the
closing of Congress and sign the bills
passed at the last moment, a confer
ence was arranged at the White House
between the President and the mem
bers of the Foreign Affairs Committee
of the. Senate. Senator Borah declined
to attend this conference, on the ground
that he did not want to receive infor-
nation that could not be used in public
discussion OF the treaty's provisions.
80 Sign Round Robin
The conference was held February
526, and the Senator'S opposed to the
bitter in their opposition than they
had been before the conference, while
those supporting the President re-
NAMED as firmly fixed in their opin-
ions. Before the expiration of Con-
gress on March a, Senators Knox and
Sherman attacked the league idea in
speeches in the Senate and a round
robin opposing the league was signed
by thirty-nine Senator'S.
AS result of the opposition in the
Senate to the first form of the League
of Nations covenant several amend
ments were proposed by the President
on his return to Paris, and some of the
Senators who had previously expressed
their opposition declared that they
would vote for the covenant in it's new
form. Senator Lodge, however, called
conference of Republican Senators in
Washington at which the plans for a
fight on the covenant were laid. After
this conference Senator Lodge issued a
statement declaring that the covenant
would require amendment.
Congress convened in special ses-
sion May 10, and in the interval be-
tween March 4 and that date most of
the members of the Senate were busilv
engaged either in fighting or defendiny
the League of Nations. Many of those
in opposition made speaking trips
around the country to explain their
views.
Fight Centers on Article x
After the special session convened
the Senate continued to occupy itself
largely with the peace treaty, the de-
bate, until the signing of the treaty
at Versailles on June % and the pub-
lication of the full text of the instru-
ment, centering around the proposal
OF Senator Knox to ask the peace con-
ference TO separate the League of Ma
tons covenant from the remainder of
the treaty. Administration supporters
devoted themselves to keeping the
resolution embodying this proposal
from coming to vote. Both former
Senator Root and former President
Taft submitted to Republican mem
beers Of the Senate plans for the modi-
fication of the League covenant, The
opposition to the treaty in the Senate
crystallized around Article X Of the
League covenant. But as soon as the
full treaty was published another
strong point of objection was found in
the Shantung settlement and many
Senator'S who were willing to accept
the League of Nations declared them
selves unalterably opposed to the Shan
tung provision.
Meanwhile, early in May an official
summary of the full treaty, including
the League of Nations covenant, had
been issued by the State Department.
and the Senate could see no reason
why it should net have the full text