Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 142, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1919 — PEACE AND PARTISANSHIP. [ARTICLE]

PEACE AND PARTISANSHIP.

Replying to the challenge of. Chairman Cummings, of the national democratic committee, to make a partisan issue of the league of nations, Chairman Hays, of the republican committee, well said: “The conclusion of the treaty of peace, including all its provisions—when we know' what they are—is in no sense a partisan question. It ,is an American question.” It would, be well for members of both parties to act on this principle, but both sides in the senate have shown a nervous anxiety to make political capital out of peace questions. The democrats 'having as their leader the president, authorized by the constitution to take the initiative in the 'peace negotiations, enjoy an advantage which some are prone to push unduly, claiming for their mere partisan loyalty the sanctity of loyalty to the jgovernment. But wise republicans Will not permit themselves to be irritated by this to the point of unreasonable criticism of the president’s use of his authority or of matching any unwisdom or delay on his part with blunders or delays of their own. It would be well for other republican leaders to adopt the spirit shown by Elihu Root in his testimony before the senate committee on foreign relations in its investigation of the source from which copies of the tentative treaty of* peace with Germany were obtained in this country. He did not see jin the president’s desire to withhold copies of the treaty the dire culpability attributed to him by some critics. He saw in this not an effort to maintain secrecy, but. a desire to prevent distribution of copies after possibilities arose of changes being made in the treaty. When Senator Pittman asked Mr. Root whether he thought the injunction against the distribution of the incomplete treaty was advisable or not he replied: I think it was quite reasonable, yes. Ido not mean to say that Ido not think it would have been wise and appropriate to keep the senate advised from time to time about the whole negotiation that was being conducted. 1 think it would have greatly facilitated the conduct of business; but I think when there was a paper about to be distributed and it was discovered "that it was to be changed, it was quite reasonable to say, “Don’t distribute this until we get the changes.” Asked by Senator Brandegee if he thought any damage had been done to the negotiations in respect to the treaty by printing it in the congressional record, Mr. Root replied with a smile: “I can not see that any damage has been done, unless it be through withdrawing the attention of the senate from the very serious questions which are awaiting its action.” He explained that he meant not the mere printing of the treaty, but the time that it had taken. Here was a quiet and smiling rebuke of unwise political action. In answers to 'Other question Mr. Root also showed his cool good judgment in recognizing that the president -was acting within his constitutional powers and exercising his constitutional authority just as the senate is exercising an independent constitutional authority. It is well to keep these facts clearly in mind and to remember also that, though it behooves the president to use his authority with a wisdom and discretion facilitating the attainment of a proper peace settlement, the senate should also act with wisdom toward the same end.—lndianapolis News.