FREE ESSAY ON WOODROW WILSON VS THE SENATE

WOODROW WILSON VS THE SENATE

"The Only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"
Edmund Burke
They say time is a great teacher. How true. History has taught us that peace must be kept
at all costs. At the end of World War 1, the common goal between the victorious nations
throughout the world was to declare peace. The leading statesmen of these triumphant
nations met in Paris to draw up the Treaty of Versailles, which would decide the fate of
the central powers. Woodrow Wilson, the American President, created fourteen points as
the basis for peace negotiations. Among these fourteen points was the most controversial
and yet the most important to President Wilson, the League of Nations. President Wilson
developed its charter and soon died from exhaustion after his own country, the United
States, refused to ratify it in the senate. American policy had temporarily shifted from
isolationism to internationalism because of the war, however the United States senate was
not ready for the responsibilities of a world peacekeeper. Due to a republican majority,
senators Henry Cabot Lodge, Alfred Beveridge, and other isolationist senators helped to
sway the rest of congress to deny the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. These
senators believed that by entangling themselves in an international organization they
would create new alliances, which would commit them to go to war. Also, Lodge felt that
the League of Nations would be able to control the United States military by limiting the
number of armaments that a nation could have. Due to Article 10 and the limitations on
armaments, which the senators objected, and the inability to compromise on the deadlock
between the President's beliefs and the Senators, led to the failure to ratify the Treaty
of Versailles. These factors lead the senate to their decision, which left the world
vulnerable for another war and the eventual demise of the League of Nations.
The Fourteen Points were one of Wilson's major accomplishments while he held office.
Wilson introduced this theory on what he believed were successful measures in not only
preventing Germany from beginning a war again, but to prevent all wars. After all World
War One was the war to end all wars. These Fourteen Points included proposals such as
freedom of the seas, general disarmament, the removal of international trade barriers,
impartial settlement of colonial claims, the restoration of Belgium, the evacuation of
Russian territory, and the League of Nations. Wilson made many mistakes that the senate
would use against him. When Wilson left for Europe on board the "George Washington" , he
brought with him a peace commission. This peace commission consisted of Colonel House,
Robert Lansing, General Tasker H. Bliss, and only one Republican, Henry D. White. The
Republicans resented Wilson for only bringing one member of their party to represent
them. However, Wilson had a "distrust of coalitions in politics." The Republicans also
felt that White "was not the representative which the Republican Party would themselves
had chosen." Wilson felt that by limiting his opposition in Europe he would have a better
chance of attaining peace. However, this choice was the beginning of the opposition
Wilson faced from his own country during the peace talks. 
Wilson believed he had the support of his own people when he left for Europe. Ironically,
Wilson also believed that, "The men, whom we are about to deal with, do not represent
their own people." Yet, it was Lloyd George, the Prime Minister of England, who had just
finished an election that would send him to Paris with a very popular mandate. Georges
Clemenceau, the leader of France, had also just finished an election in which he won a
vote of confidence four to one. However, in November, in the midterm elections, it was
shown to the world that America did not support their leader. The election in 1918
resulted in a clear Republican majority for the Senate and the House. This led President
Wilson to "issue a public appeal for the election of a Democratic majority in both houses
of Congress in order that he might be wholly unhampered in the approaching negotiations."
This was unsuccessful and showed to spectators that there was a difference of opinion
between these two parties. The President felt even more opposition from his country when
former President Theodore Roosevelt spoke openly of his lack of support when he stated,
"our allies and our enemies, and Mr. Wilson himself, should all understand that Mr.
Wilson has no authority whatever to speak for the American people at this time." With the
events that took place, Wilson faced a very painful question on his passage back to the
United States. Without a Democratic senate would the Treaty of Versailles be ratified? 
President Wilson brought the Treaty of Versailles back to the Senate on July 10, 1920,
but he found opposition from the Senate. The Senators that opposed the treaty were Henry
Cabot Lodge, Alfred Beveridge, and other isolationists. It was these Senators that helped
to sway the rest of the congress to deny the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles.
The treaty was too extreme for most isolationists to accept. The American Senate with a
Republican majority gave Henry Cabot Lodge both floor leader and the chairman of the
committee of foreign relations. This gave Lodge an enormous amount of power because in
treaties, " the President would negotiate but the Senate must approve." The senate
accused Wilson of compromising too much with Clemenceau and George. They believed that
this treaty infringed on American sovereignty and would later commit them to a war that
did not involve the United States. It is in the constitution that only the congress of
the United States could declare war, not an international organization. President
Wilson's advisors warned him that a treaty involving the United States in an
international police force would not be passed in the senate. However, Wilson believed
that the senate would be forced to pass this treaty because, "He did not believe that the
senate would dare incur the odium of committing so dastardly a crime against humanity."
The key article that threatened American sovereignty was Article 10, which read, "The
Members of the League undertake to respect and preserve as against external aggression of
the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all Members of the
League. In case of any such aggression or in case of any threat or danger of such
aggression the council shall advise upon the means by which this obligation shall be
fulfilled." President Wilson explained to the senators that this was a moral obligation
but not necessarily a legal obligation. A nation would have the right to exercise it's
own judgment in each case; they would not be forced into war. Another reservation Lodge
was concerned with was limiting the number of armaments that a nation could possess.
Lodge wanted the United States to be able to increase their armament without the League
knowing about it. They felt that by committing to this reservation, the League of Nations
might gain control of the United States military. Another proposal by Lodge was to give
the United States the right to ignore the League of Nations against sanctioning such
nations as Germany and continue to trade with them. Even if this was against what the
League believed was right. These reservations by Lodge would only benefit one nation and
not mankind, which was what President Wilson, was striving towards and would not
compromise on. 
Many senators favored this treaty, but approval of a treaty requires two- thirds of the
Senate. However, the Senate was split into three different belief groups. These groups
were "Democrats who supported the League Covenant without changes; Republican
"irreconcilables,"…who opposed the League absolutely; and Republican
"Reservationists" led by Lodge, who demanded changes in the Leagues covenant as a
condition of their support." With this clause, establishing the League of Nations would
be more difficult than Wilson believed. Henry Cabot Lodge used many different tactics to
draw support away from President Wilson. He delayed the Senates vote in order to diminish
support for the Treaty of Versailles. He insisted that the entire treaty, which consisted
of 264 pages, be read aloud before the Senate. Continuing to change the reservations that
he disagreed with, Senator Lodge proposed fourteen formal reservations to the Treaty of
Versailles. Senator Lodge was willing to sign the Treaty of Versailles if these certain
changes to the treaty were agreed upon. On March 3rd 1919, Senator Lodge collected
thirty-nine signatures from members of the Senate demanding that there be changes made to
this treaty. These additions to the treaty would place safeguards that would protect
America's right to protect the Monroe doctrine. This reservation made sure that domestic
issues did not lead to the interpretation of the Monroe doctrine by an international
organization. Now, the only way the Senate would approve the pact was if the entire
document would be accepted, including Senator Lodge's proposals. President Wilson refused
to compromise with Senator Lodge and tried to save the treaty through State legislatures.
He toured the country from coast to coast seeking support from the public. President
Wilson gave thirty-seven speeches in only twenty-two days. However, in between speeches
the President received a stroke from the stress he had endured, which put him close to
death. Even after physical and nervous exhaustion, which caused him to stay in bed for
several weeks, Wilson could not let the changes be made to the treaty. Though he was too
weak to take action of his own, he was still strong enough to interfere. Wilson would not
compromise on any of the issues brought forth by Lodge. " Let Lodge compromise" was the
order given to his democrats going into the vote. He told his democratic party to vote
against the treaty that included Lodge's reservations. The final vote took place on March
19, 1920. The simple majority failed to gain the necessary two-thirds majority to ratify
the treaty. If Wilson had stepped back before the vote took place and was willing to
compromise on the reservations, then more people would have supported it. But Wilson and
his political rival were stubborn and stayed in a deadlock. Therefore, the treaty failed
to be ratified. Wilson died on February 3, 1924 and along with him died the United States
involvement in the League of Nations and the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. 
Out of the Fourteen Points came Wilson's most important achievement at Versailles, the
creation of an international peacekeeping organization, the League of Nations. Woodrow
Wilson did all that he could to gain the support of his people for the acceptance of the
League of Nations in the Treaty of Versailles. He believed that the idea of collective
security was the key to keeping world peace. Yet, Wilson was ahead of his time. America
was not ready to switch from an isolationist state to an international peacekeeper. The
American senate wanted to make changes to the treaty in order to secure their
international stand on domestic issues. But Wilson was unwilling to compromise on
securing peace for mankind, so Wilson gained nothing. The ratification of the Treaty of
Versailles and the League of Nations would fail, however the idea still burned on, and
the United Nations would be formed after the Second World War.