Evening star., 1921-10-06
Editorial Digest
Ratify the Treaty!

Sy sAAV away
Prompt ratification of the German
American peace treaty with a mini
mum Of senatorial oratory" is the
almost universal demand Of the press.
There is little sympathy in editorial
columns for any attempt to make
political issue of the treaty. as is at
least suggested by the reported active
! opposition of former President Will
son. Even democratic papers, which
give scant approval to the pact itself,
: insist that 1t must be ratified for want
OF better one. Few, indeed, are. the
minority party papers which urge
democratic senators to reject the
/ treaty outright.
The treaty should be debated, the
| New York Times independent demo-.
cratic) believes. 'fn all its bearings:
and implications. so that the country
| may understand exactly what it
does and what 1t leaves undone."
particularly since "the-treaty as pub
lished means nothing to the ordinary
reader" and is in fact wholly un-
! intelligible" unless read in conjunc.
| ton with the Versailles treaty. But
while there should be full debate,
! there must be mo senseless obstruc-
! ton" This is also the position of the
Baltimore American (republican).
%hlen which says says. that the Senate is as
Hughes treaty as it was ito examine
| into the character" Of the Wilson pro-
posal, because 'if the Hughes treaty
does not provide what the people
think 1t provides the fact should be
honest criticism, but will not toll
! crate 'obstructionism.'
| What fs> wanted. the Indianapolis
star independent republican, re-
| marks. ts action, not oratory."
The Nashville Banner independently
no% oSs ta ens te,epatey Seqatey n no meed
/ fight, for there is little public in
terest in these treaties; they don't in
volve vital points over which it is
possible to Grouse general concern"
and the popular desire is ito have
everything in regard to the settle
ment or the war out of the way
| The Boston Herald Independent re-
publicap) says substantially the same
When the treaty with Germany was
completed Its ratification seemed to
De put g. mere formality." and in the
opinion OF the Illinois State. Journal
tSpringdeld, republican, the oppose
tion to it which is now developinE, in
| washington can be- attributed very
| largely to, restlessness and irritabiI-
1ty OF temper which Characterize the
age rather than to sincere objections
on principle, The New Haven Journal
Courier Independently also interprets
the growing opposition as largely
stage property" the "rumblfngs and
threatening noises" of which consist
OF the revengeful utterances of those
who can never forgive"
But "is the making of peace to
stretch out to the crack of doom
while first republicans and then
democrats use it as political foot
ball?' asks the Philadelphia Public
Ledger independently. Such a situa-
tion. however. as most editors see
It, the country will not permit We
have had enough of personal poll
tics, the Kansas City Times unde-
pendenD declares. and while. from
Express findependent republican, ad-
1 mits. that republicans might urge
the democrats to go ahead in the di-
rection toward which they are now
heading" it advises in the interest
of better politics and higher patriot
ism to heed the caution: Stop. look.
LISTEN" Democratic advice from the
Brooklyn Eagle the Richmond Times
Dispatch. the Oklahoma City Okla
homan: the Anaconda Standard. the
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot and the Hart
ford Times is also to the effect, to quote
the Eagle, that 1.-The making of peace
should not be made a partisan busi-
ness and while. as the Hartford paper
says; there is plenty Of temptation
for democratic senators to oppose the
treaty of Berlin in retaliation for
the manner in which the republicans
ma!igned and misrepresented the YER
sailles treaty" it is generally ~
lieved that they will resist whatever
impulse in that direction they may
feel" and realize that. although. as
the Oklahoman says. 1.-The new treaty
is poor one" yet 'it will be better
than no treaty at ALL" and also, as
the Times-Dispatch points out. that
rejection would not mean that a
better one COULD ever be negotiated
And after all. the Roanoke World
News (democratic) thinks, "the OBJ
lection to the treaties is not to what
they contain. but simply to what they
do not contain" and by ratifying
them and getting them out Of the
way. the Brooklyn Eagle suggests. the
possibility that "Mr. Hughes might
be able to work toward q better un-
derstanding with other natioAs that
would more closely correspond to the
policy of the democratic minority, as
it was formulated under Mr.. Wilson,"