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Show JOHNSON ASKS FOR j REJEGTiOM OF PACT C ALI FOR N IAN MAKES ADDRESS AT SPECIAL SESSION OF MINNESOTA MIN-NESOTA LEGISLATURE. Abandons Proposed Trip to Coast to Answer President Wilson's Speeches in Order to Return to Washington to Take up Fight in Senate. St. I'mil. Minn. Senator Hiriim W. Johnson of. 'alil'iimni in mii uilih'i'ss (JelivcTi'il to a special session of the Minnesota legislature Friday morning, Scitemlier 1!), iresenled liis arsuinenls in opposition to the unqual iliiil ratili-cation ratili-cation of the leaxno of nations cove-i)int. cove-i)int. 'I'hc senator exprcssinl the opinion that if action on Hie league couhl lie delayed sixly days the people would speak in positive terms and insist upon its defeat or "amendment so us to protect pro-tect the country's interest. ' "I'ul.ilic sentiment against: the league is growing every day and is fast assuming' as-suming' the proportions of a revolution," revolu-tion," said Senator Johnson. "its friends realize that if it" is not rushed throufrh now, before the people have had an opportunity to understand it, their cause is hopelv.;s. That explains the haste to have it ratified without amendment." lie referred to the fourteen points which President Wilson had declared would he incorporated in the peace pac', ,,nd asserted that he was obliged to abandon them one by one and accept ac-cept a treaty written by European diplomats. dip-lomats. Follow ing his St. Paul address, Senator Sen-ator Johnson announced that, he would abandon his proposed trip to the coast to answer President Wilson's speeches and would return to Washington on Sunday to take up the fight in the senate sen-ate for the adoption of amendments proposed by apponents of the administration admin-istration program. Addresses were made by Senator Johnson at Minneapolis and St. Paul on Saturday. Before leaving Minneapolis for Washington, Senator Johnson said: "I deeply regret that I am obliged to abandon the speaking trip to California which I had planned to answer President Pres-ident Wilson's arguments on the league of nations. But I feel that I should be in Washington -when action is taken on my amendment to the' peace pact which is designed to correct cor-rect Great Britain's preponderance of voting strength in the assembly of the league of nations. "I believe this amendment will be finally acted upon by the senate this week, and then I may decide to go to California to deliver a number of ad-d ad-d resses. "The success of my speaking trip through the middle west was beyond my fondest expectations. My purpose was to arouse the people to thought on this important question and I believe be-lieve I succeeded." America's entry into the league of nations will mark the formation of a partnership between the one going solvent sol-vent country in the world with certain European bankrupts, v. 'ho, after our first experience in meddling and muddling mud-dling in foreign politics, have come to secretly despise and detest us, declared declar-ed Senator Johnson, in addressing a large and enthusiastic audience at Duiuth, -Friday night. "The league of nations," he said, "comes to us after its principal meni-l,-s have been gorged with territory, Mh their boundaries and their lim'ts Increased beyond the wildest dreams and with other immense tracts of the world's surface yet to be distributed among them. "After these extraordinary acres sions of territory, the one going solvent national concern on earth undertakes by article X to guarantee forever these extraordinary territorial limits. "This section freezes the world into immutabilil y. It assumes to put the world In a strait-jacket, wherein there can be no movement for betterment or progress of humanity. ")N.eyond and above all this, the maintenance main-tenance of this static condition is to be accomplished by the blood of just one nation, and that is ours." As a guest of the Commercial association asso-ciation at Lincoln, Neb., on Thursday, Senator Johnson gave Lincoln business men his reasons for opposing the ratification rati-fication of the league of nations covenant cov-enant in its present form. Senator Johnson discussed the various var-ious amendments' to the peace pact pending in the senate and made a stirring stir-ring appeal for changes in the document, docu-ment, which, he declared, are necessary neces-sary for the adequate safeguarding of American interests. Senator John, at a luncheon given by Omaha business me7i on September Septem-ber IT, made a plea for the defeat of the covenant in its present form. |
