Show The Tue Presidents President s Refusal 1 HEX HEN becomes the predominant note of f the secrecy W the Unit United til y V conduct oL or any ally governmental gc unit of I Slates suspicion on j is bred in the mind of the people Even the oft officials of oC a town board escape public censure censure cen cen- sure when the they regard reg-anI their a neTs is us personal 1 bU business business s san an and bar ar the thc doors door to the lie public As a u result of 01 Ull this f feeling in executive sessions in the conduct of or town anI and 1 city ity government Jin have e c almost entirely disappeared 1 Where here flu they still remain there is a feeling of distrust and suspicion in the electorate which the duly dilly elected officials cannot Jt hope hupe to 10 survive sur I With our government go vested in the people there CU can l be no nu O I reason for secret business The rhe official who ho tries to conceal his acts from the people is in in the he I same position as is t thic c bunk bank teller who tries to I keep the I of his caje caze a personal secret Being the thc em em- the people have a right to know what is being dune done by hy the men they lIa have vc chosen to serve them The principle applies io to national government o no nu less than titan it does dues to local affairs affaire so fur far as as- the he peoples people's representatives tives thes are concerned President President Wilson il on in attaching the secrecy o OL ot the lie I peace conference to his official relations with Congress ind and the lie American people shows a woeful lack of consideration con con- I Oo for our institutions His present course e is ismore Jn more rc arrogant than tie on one pursued when alien he lie ignored the he ordinate co-ordinate treaty making power of the government g in ill undertaking negotiations with Europe In lii the tIre first I breach the Senate could coul do nothing more than abi abide e by hy bythe U tj the decision of the lie executive to m make ke the parleys a n conI continuation con con- cop cop- I I of maii on control of government The sit sit- I nation tiow ow confronting the United Slates States however is is is I vastly different and deman demands s that the Senate stand stana on its rf rights and 1 obligations because the negotiations have hae passed TJ a stage stae where responsibility can be shifted from shoulder to shoulder f. f The Senate alone can be responsible for defects and flaws S which may be contained in the treaty when it is rat ratified fi d. d rhe They cannot ratify the lie document without assuming as as- suming full r responsibility f for r the pro isi provisions ris ns t D tJ lh ton ton- con on- on tract In view of the duty devolving ing upon the Senate T t. t would seem srem that the members are entitled o o know what lint transpired in the peace pence conference Denied the right to participate in ill the proceedings at Paris there is only one place where the Senate can call look for nf rma- rma tion The President alone can supply it Even Mr 1111 Lansing who occupies a position akin to that of or Lloyd George or Georges Clemenceau if he felt himself provided provided pro pro- vided with wilh the moral liberty could not fully enlighten tile the Senate He admits there are arc matters concerning the proceedings proceed proceed- j ings ns S at the Paris conference which can be answered only by th the President Mr 1111 Lansing has just admitted th that t the secret treaties existing between Great Britain and Japan with regard ard to Shantung were concealed from him lum m when the Ishii agreement was reached The rhe a admission admission mission mis- mis sion not only t throws rows a light on Japanese diplomacy but it involves Great Britain in secret arrangements which h ch chare are arc not to increase American faith when the President himself is is resorting to secrecy The The- whole effect of the policy is to arouse to-arouse arouse suspicions for which there may be De beno no lo logical grounds rounds The basis asis of his bis refusal seems to be that the data at are arc so m miscellaneous and anel enormous in l mass that 1 it t would woul be impossible to supply them without bringing from Paris the the- whole files of papers of the commission ion itself and w wild uld include many memoranda which it was agreed on grounds of public policy it would be unwise to make use of outside the thc conference So that hat the Senate which has bas equal authority with the lie President in the treaty making prerogative is to be he denied access to the information upon which the tho Presidents President's Pres dents ident's conclusions were founded on the ground of its and the of entrusting stin secrets of the conference to the kno knowledge dedge pf United States senators In other words that which took place behind the scenes in Paris Pans all th the secret influences s which worked to produce the resultant treat treaty ore are to be kept in in the dark buried in the Quai D DOrsay Or a 7 The Paris Paris' conferees may have hand first-hand knowledge of e everything but the United States senators are 1 un 11 untrustworthy untrustworthy un- un 1 trustworthy and it was agreed between Lloyd G George orge and Clemenceau and other confidential al friends that flint it would be unwise to let anyone else in on the secrets of or off open covenants which were to be openly arrived at l If IS f in iii all the annals of history there has been a more humiliating humiliating spectacle presented by the crowned head of an absolute monarchy to s say y nothing of fhe hc servant of a afree free veople people it fails to yield to memory The President of the greatest republic under the sun virtually S says to thc the branch of the government which winch is by the constitution tion ma made e ordinate co-ordinate in authority with jtb him You You will willbe be good enough to ratify the treaty but you are arc not j to Ho to know what I know 1 It rem remains ins to he be seen how the Senate will view this new and premeditated affront I y KM n ton |