OCR Text |
Show HEWS REVIEW OF CURRENT EVENTS Peace Treaty Reported to the Senate for Ratification With Alterations. MINORITY REPORT ALSO MADE President Wilson's Harsh Words Kgainst Opponents Call Forth Replies Re-plies Treaty With Austria Is Signed--Fatal Strike Riots in Hammond and Boston. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. Whether or not It wins to the cause of the treaty any supporters, President Wilson's tour already has had one important im-portant result. It has Induced the senate sen-ate committee on foreign relations to release its grip on the pact and report it to the senate for action. So the fight over the treaty is now transferred to the floor of the upper house. How long final action there will be delayed no man can tell. The majority report of the committee, commit-tee, representing the views of Chairman Chair-man Lodge and the other radical opponents op-ponents of the treaty and League of Nations the latter especially recommends rec-ommends the ratification of the treaty with four important reservations, as set forth In these columns a week ago, and also it recommends the amendments amend-ments then mentioned. These amendments amend-ments and reservations alike, says the report, "are governed by a single purpose, pur-pose, and that is to guard American rights and American sovereignty, the invasion of which would stimulate breaches of faith, encourage conflicts, and generate wars." That the adoption of amendments would necessitate the reassembling of the peace conference is denied in the report, since the conference probably will be in session for six months more, and it Is also asserted that the German delegates could easily be brought back to Paris, and that, as Germany is not a member of the league, she need not be consulted about changes In the covenant. cove-nant. Blame for delay is shifted from the committee to the peace conference itself, and the statement often made by the advocates of unreserved ratification, rati-fication, that trade cannot be resumed until such action Is taken, Is characterized char-acterized as a "mere delusion." The report sarcastically calls attention to the fact that Premier Lloyd George In recent important speeches failed to point out that acceptance of the league covenant by Great Britain had relieved the social, political and economic troubles trou-bles of that country and had not suggested sug-gested that prompt action on the treaty by the American senate would immediately immedi-ately lower the price of beef. As for the fears that other nations may not accept American amendments, the report re-port says: "That Is one thing that certainly cer-tainly will not happen. . . . The other nations will take us on our own terms, for without us their league Is a wreck and all their gains from a victorious peace are imperiled." Senator Hitchcock presented t he report re-port of the minority of the committee, signed by the Democratic members with the exception of Senator Shields of Tennessee, who had declared himself him-self In favor of the Lodge reservations. This report was no whit behind that of the majority in forcefulness of language lan-guage and argument, and declared that refusal to ratify the treaty as it stands would mean the sacrifice by the United States of all concessions obtained from Germany under a dictated peace, would leave the Industrial world in ferment, (he financial world in doubt and commerce com-merce halted. Concerning the proposed pro-posed amendments the report said: "We see no reason to discuss their character at length. In our opinion they have no merit, but whether they be good, bad or Indifferent their adoption adop-tion by the senate can have no possible pos-sible effect except to defeat the participation par-ticipation of the United States In the treaty. None of them could by any possibility lie accepted by even the 1 great nations associated with the j Cniled States in the war. and none of them could by any possibility be dictated dic-tated to Germany. To adopt any one of them, therefore, is equivalent to rejecting re-jecting the treaty." The report sets forth some of the concessions from Germany which, it says, America would sacrifice. Most of these are acceptances by Germany of action already taken by the United States and which the most ardent advocate ad-vocate of the treaty would not suggest that the United States would reconsider recon-sider even if Germany withheld its assent. as-sent. The really important point brought out in this connection was that unless we are a party to the treaty we will have no membership on the reparations commission, which for years to come will have enormous con-, con-, trol over the trade and commerce of Germany with other nations. President Wilson, moving steadily toward the Pacific coast, is striking telling blows in behalf of the treaty and is meeting with enthusiastic receptions re-ceptions everywhere. His admirers, however, cannot fail to regret that he is descending to rather undignified abuse of those who oppose his policies, poli-cies, and that he resorts to specious argument in appealing to special interests, in-terests, as when he told the farmers of North Dakota that if the treaty were not ratified Europe would not buy their wheat. Mr. Wilson's harsh words agaiimt his opponents called forth Instant response re-sponse from Senator Kenyon In the senate and from Senators Borah, Johnson John-son and McCormick, who opened the speaking tour of the reservationists in Chicago. The president had calfed the senators who demand reservations in -the treaty "contemptible quitters," and Kenyon heatedly declared the "most contemptible quitters in the history of the world were those who assembled with high ideals at the Paris conference confer-ence and permitted Japan to take over Shantung." Johnson also took this as his text and to the noisy delight of a huge Chicago audience undertook to show-that show-that it was President Wilson who was the quitter, In that he had gone across the sea with high ideals of open covenants, cove-nants, freedom of the seas, removal of economic barriers, reduction of armaments arma-ments and self-determination for all peoples, and had come home with just what was handed to him. Senator Norris of Nebraska took a whack at the president in a speech in the senate, bitterly attacking the expenditures ex-penditures of the peace delegation. He said Mr. Wilson "spent money In Paris like a drunken sailor," called attention to the payment of $150,000 to Bernard Baruch as a special adviser, and added : "Besides engaging an expensive retinue re-tinue of 1,500 people as advisers wdiose advice lie did not take, the president had a glass roof put over the George Washington and took musicians from the Hotel Bilttnore in New York to play for him while he was going over to F.urope." . Dr. Karl Rentier, on behalf of Austria, Aus-tria, signed the peace treaty with that now petty country, but the signatures of Houmania and Czecho slovakia were withheld for the present. Koumania objects to the clauses guaranteeing equal civil rights to Jews and other religious and racial minorities, and the Serbians were wulting for the formation forma-tion of a new cabinet at Belgrade. There was no Indication of hard feelings feel-ings between the allied representatives representa-tives and Doctor Renner at the ceremony, cere-mony, and the latter accepted the treaty with the hope that before long Austria would be given easier terms and perhaps the right of self-determination and permission to unite with the German republic. Germany, in reply to the peace conference's con-ference's objection to the article in the new German constitution providing for Austrian representation In the reichs-rath. reichs-rath. said the article would remain ineffective. in-effective. The conference answered that this was not enough, that the article must he expunged ; but this second sec-ond warning was not expressed so forcibly as had been Intended, owing to the objection of Mr. Polk. However, Germany cannot but yield. The government gov-ernment in Berlin evidently expects a new Spartacist uprising in the near future, for the Noske guards have been making secret preparations, and guns have been placed at bridges and other strategic points. This "revolution" had been scheduled for October but probably prob-ably the date has been advanced. The latest news from Russia, which, however, comes from bolslievist sources, is that 12.000 of Admiral Kol-chak's Kol-chak's men have been captured by the reds and the surrender of the remainder re-mainder of his southern army Is expected. ex-pected. In northern Russia the situation situ-ation of the antibolshevists is desperate. des-perate. The Americans have left and the British are rapidly completing their evacuation of the Archangel region. re-gion. V delegation from the municipal ana zemslvo organizations of that district dis-trict has reached London and made a pathetic appeal against the withdrawal of allied help. The Roumanians, at last reports, had not yet withdrawn their troops from Hungary and their actions and language lan-guage continue to be defiant of the allies. al-lies. They claim to be acting as a barrier bar-rier to the waves of bolshevlsm that threaten to flow over Hungary from the east. The Serbians, it is reported, are growing very bitter against Rou-mania Rou-mania and are talking war and moving mov-ing up their artillery to the frontier. An Interesting story comes from Vienna of the arrest in Prague of the leaders in a monarchist plot that is believed be-lieved to include Austria and Hungary and with which the Archduke Joseph party is said to'be allied. It Is rumored the intention was to put former Emperor Em-peror Charles back on the throne. General Pershing's return to the United States was the occasion of ,a tremendous demonstration in New York, lasting over three days and culminating cul-minating in an impressive parade of the First division, "first to enter the war and last to leave," led by the gallant gal-lant commander in chief. When Pershing Persh-ing landed at Hoboken he was presented present-ed by Secretary Baker with his commission com-mission as general, and on Thursday, September 18, he will be received by both houses of congress in joint session ses-sion and will be told formally how much the country appreciates his distinguished dis-tinguished services in accomplishing a great task with all credit to the American Ameri-can nation. The industrial sky was pretty dark last week, and indeed storms broke at several points. In Hammond, Ind., the striking employees of the Pressed Steel Car works engaged in rioting and three of them were killed by the state troops and police. Then the members of the police force of Boston, who nad joined a labor union in defiance of regulations went on strike, and immediately imme-diately the disorderly elements of the city began pillaging stores, attacking women and indulging in other riotous demonstrations. The loyal police were unequal to the emergency and the mayor called for the assistance of the state militia. Several regiments were mobilized and went into action against the mobs, seven persons being killed in the tights. ' All other labor unions in the city threatened to go on strike in sympathy with the police. The firemen also said they would quit if the policemen police-men asked It. As Chairman Gary of the United States Steel corporation directorate was obdurate in his refusal to meet with the advisory committee of the steel workers, despite the efforts of President Presi-dent Wilson and others, the committee called a strike of all union employees of the corporation for Monday, September Sep-tember 22. The strike order will go into effect unless concessions satisfactory satisfac-tory to the unions shall be made before that time by the corporation or President Presi-dent Wilson shall succeed In persuading persuad-ing the workers to postpone it. Through Secretary Tumulty, the president urged on Samuel Gompers the wisdom of putting put-ting off the strike until after the industrial indus-trial conference that Is to meet in Washington early next month. Mr. Gompers was in Dorchester, Mass., where he was called by the death of his father, and at the time of writing it was not known what would be his attitude in the matter. There was joy In Chicago over the ending of the long tie-up In the building build-ing industry. The carpenters, whose refusal to work for less than $1 an hour caused the trouble, agreed to return re-turn to their jobs for the 02'2 cents an hour offered by the contractors, until next May. when there will he a readjustment. re-adjustment. The settlement permitted the resumption of building projects involving in-volving many millions of dollars. |