Evening star., 1937-02-14


plan was resumed.
With this threat before him, Wilson
made counter-threat that he would
bring back treaty with the covenant
not only in it, but so many threads
of the treaty tied to the covenant
that you cannot dissect the covenant
from the treaty without destroying
the whole vital structure"
The President had refused to
summon a special session Of Con-
gress, evidently preferring not to
have that body in session until he
returned with the complete treaty.
His opponents mediated fllbuster to
hold up necessary legislation, and
thus make an extra session inevitable
and permit them to keep up a run
ming fight on the League. from the
floor of the Senate. But they hesi-
tated to accept the onus for delaying
such measures as the victory loan, and
50 were forced to ccnfine their
attacks to speeches at dinners and the
like.
Party Lines Rent.
But they were successful in this
form Of sniping. Fear of the entangle-
ments which would result from entry
into the League was growing in the
country under the drumfire of sena-
torial oratory. The issue crossed party
lines. William Howard Taft favored
the League; spoke on the same plat
form with Wilson. A. Lawrence
Lowell offered to debate the ques-
tion with Henry Cabot. Senator
James Reed of Missouri. Democrat,
was one of the strongest of Borah's
allies. Justice Daniel F. Cohalan, who
associated himself with Alfred E.
Smith in repudiating Roosevelt's
leadership in the last campaign,
spoke with Borah before a meeting
of the Clan-na-Gael. F. H. La
Guardia supported Wilson in the
House of Representatives.
When the finished treaty was sub
mitted to the Senate on July 10,
opposition to the League had de-
veloped to a point dangerous to
Wilson's hopes. Organizations such
as the League for the Preservation of
American independence had been
formed to propagandize against the
League. The Senate held open hear
ings which gave publicity to anti
League arguments. And the Foreign
Relations Committee reported amend
ment after amendment to the
covenant as drawn at Paris.
Trail Wilson on Speech Tour.
On September Wilson decided to
take the case to the people. He
planned swing around the circle in
defense of his treaty. But his oppo-
nents in the Senate retorted by "trail-
ing" him. speaking in the same cities,
to the same audiences, as the Presi-
dent.
Hiram johnson began the campaign
with luncheon talk in Chicago on
September 10. Shall America be
America again?" he asked. THE issue
is shall the republic still be the master
Of its destiny, or shall that destiny be
intrusted to foreign nations?" That
night Johnson, with Borah and Sena-
tor Medill Mccormick, addressed a
crowd that overf1owed into the street
and cheered vociferously.
Wilson pleaded through the West
for his treaty. unchanged. But the
tide of anti-League sentiment was
rising behind him as he spoke. and
the strain of the prolonged tour. on
top of the nerve-racking labors Of the
Peace Conference. brought on q
breakdown. The President collapsed.
The Versailles treaty went to the
Senate for vote on November 10,
1919. Lodge supported the League
with IA reservations, which, In Will
sons view, took the heart out Of the
document. The President sent word
to his supporters that the Lodge reso-
luton did not provide "for ratification.
but rather for notification, Of the
treaty. I sincerely hope that the
friends and supporters of the treaty
will vote against the Lodge resolution
of ratification"
Treaty Killed.
The majority of Wilson men and
all the Borah-Johnson group of "irrec-
oncilables" who wanted no league
whatever, voted against the Lodge
reservations, and they were defeated
by a vote of SIS to 80. Then Senator
Oscar w. Underwood moved that the
treaty be adopted without reserva-
tions. This time the reservationists
sided with the bitter-enders and the
motion was lost, 50 to So. The treaty
was dead.
Wilson tried to revive it. He called
for . solemn referendum" In the
election Of 1920, but y that time the
issue was confused ard lacked vitality.
On as ths most aeraous stssmpts 70