Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1919 — LEWIS SCORES LEAGUE CRITICS [ARTICLE]

LEWIS SCORES LEAGUE CRITICS

Illinois Senator Denies Document Violates Monroe Doctrine or Washington’s Tenets. SEES ANIMOSITY TO WILSON _________ * Declares Opposition to the Proposed Covenant Is Based on Personal or Political Antagonism to President—Replies to Borah. Washington, Feb. 25.—Speaking in the senate in support of the proposed league of nations, Senator Lewis of Illinois, Democratic whip, declared the league would not contravene the advice of Washington or the Monroe doctrine, and broadly intimated that personal and political antagonism to President Wilson lay behind the opposition in congress. Senator Lewis replied specifically to recent speeches by Senators Borah of Idaho, Republican, and Reed of Missouri, Democrat. Attacks Based on False Fears. Attacks upon the" league. Senator Lewis asserted, were based on false fears and designed to awaken prejudice. Demanding that opponents present their plan for world peace, he asked: “Have you any? Is there only the voice of veto from you all on whatever plan —merely that it Is proposed by Wilson? “The country Is not deceived. It will understand—and when It does know that for party polities or personal prejudices their representatives would continue to consign the nation’s children to the misery of cripples —to the agony of sightlass pyes—and order the destruction of their young lives, forever, these Christian mothers and patriot fathers will cry down on the heads of them all the curse of heaven. “If Woodrow Wilson were a Roman Catiline charged by a Cicero with conspiracy to surrender his land to the enemy of his country and Taft » modern Aaron Burr they could not have been more violently impugned than each has been by the loaders of the opposition to the league of nations. Denies Alliance Policy Violated.

“It Is said that the document violates our policy against alliances with foreign governments as opposed by Washington. I answer that the document prevents what Washington opposed—partial alliances by America witli any foreign country, even were her statesmen inclined. “It requires two-thirds of all to permit any war or peace action with one. Would two-thirds ever allow such disadvantage to them iri favor of any one against them all? “The constitution of the league prohibits'ihe possibility of a political alliance with any European power by balancing against the European, the Asiatic, Japah and all South America.” “Monroe Doctrine Not Violated.” t)f the charge that the league would violate the Monroe Doctrine, Senator Lewis said: “It was to prevent this very assumption that section 10 of the charter pledges all of the governments in the league to resist aggression by any one state or government of any state. We ask why this false fear is heralded by senators. The cry is to awaken prejudice, not to convince by the truth of a situation." In reply to by Senators Borah and Reed that the United States would be outvoted, particularly England with her colonies included, Senator Lewis said: “Such is not in the possibilities. There’ are eleven republics of America, with eleven votes. Then, if all Britain’s colonies ... . each have a vote, the United States, with Central and South America outvotes the Europeans on any American policy 9 to s—assuming only the larger republics are admitted to the council.”