Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-05-23 | Page 1 | League Antis Want Hearings

LEAGUE 1TIS THIS Opponents of Treaty Seek Testimony of Resigned Committeemen. Republicans Partly Agreed on. Makeup of Foreign Relations Committee. (Chicago Tribune Special Service.) WASHINGTON, May 22. Extensive hearings cn the league of nations tove-nant, tove-nant, in which the nine members of the president's peace committee who resigned because of dissatisfaction with the treaty will be called as witnesses, will be held before the senate foreign relations committee com-mittee if opponents of the league have their way. Paris reports of ithe resignation of members of the peace mission have aroused curiosity in the senate. Although no official statement lias been given out concerning their reasons for resigning, it is understood here they quit because they regarded the terms too harsh upon Germany. Ger-many. .Senators are anxious to learn if this is true. The Republican committee on committees commit-tees reached a tentative understanding today with regard to the personnel of the foreign relations committee. If the slate goes through the league of nations will fall into hostile hands immediately upon its receipt by the senate and will be handled by a committee distinctly un- friendly. Democrats to Fight. The slate calls for the addition of four 'new Republican members, namely. Senator Sen-ator New of Indiana, Senator Harding of Colorado, Senator Moses of New Hampshire Hamp-shire and Senator Kenyon of Iowa. These senators all believe the covenant must be materially amended. Some of them would have it rejected. The addition addi-tion of these four senators means that the opponents of the league always will have a working majority in the voting on the separation of the league covenant from the treaty or any amendments that may be offered. The Democrats are prepared to contest the right of the Republicans to take such a large majority in the organization of the committee, "but in the case of the foreign relations committee, the finance committee and the privileges and elections elec-tions committee, the Republicans Insist they must have a majority of three. Tho first big debate on the peace treaty and the league covenant In the new congress con-gress is scheduled to bfgin tomorrow. Senator Sherman of Illinois has prepared an address in which he will demand the separation of the league covenant from the treaty. Senator Johnson of California Califor-nia is going to urge the adoption nf his resolution calling upon the president for the complete text of the peace treaty. Senator Heed of Missouri will make a speech in which he will undertake to ' show how the black and yellow races will largely dominate In the league of nations. na-tions. Opposes Amendments. Senator Fittman of Nevada, a member of the foreign relations committee, issued a statement today declaring that the adoption of any amendment to the league covenant would be the equivalent to rejection re-jection of the treaty. He said: "Amending the treaty in any way simplv means the rejection of the treaty and the proposing of a new one. There has already been sufficient de'ay. The warworn countries of Europe w.ll not tolerate tol-erate it further. The United Stares a-read a-read v has demanded and rpceived more pecfal consideration in the covenant than anv other nation. "The treaty itself provides that when ratified by Germany and three of the allied al-lied powers it shall go into efrect and be binding upon the signatory nations. When it has thus been ratified it. wi:J be too laie to call another peace conference. The United States then wiil be in a position po-sition where it will have to accent political, po-litical, economic and commercial isolation or pet it ion to become a member o? t ho existing league of natiuns. In the latter casetwe would ioe our present powerful position as a charter member of te council coun-cil which has a dominating influence upon all of the acts of the league."