Most of Europe was engaged in World War I from 1914 to 1919. The United States entered the war in the spring of 1917. The conflict claimed the lives of sixteen million people. Buildings and agricultural land were devastated. The world was shocked by the use of powerful new weapons, including submarines, machine guns, poison gas, tanks, and airplanes.
By the time the war ended on November 11, 1918, world leaders were determined to prevent another global conflict. They organized the Paris Peace Conference to hammer out a plan.
The result was the Treaty of Versailles. Europe heaved a sigh of relief and began the effort to return to normal, confident that the treaty would prevent another war. But not everyone agreed with the final terms. While President Wilson signed the treaty, it still had to be ratified by the Senate.
The sticking point was a group of Senators with strong objections. Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, head of the Foreign Relations Committee, led the opposition. He objected to the League of Nations, particularly Article Ten, which he said gave the League the power to declare war, undermining Congress’s constitutional authority.
North Dakota Senator Porter McCumber, also a Republican and a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, broke ranks. On this date in 1919, he filed a minority report. Instead of siding with his Republican colleagues, he voted with the Democrats.
McCumber denounced the majority report as “selfish, immoral, and dishonorable.” He accused Republicans of trying to “isolate the United States from the rest of the world and abandon our allies.” He added, “I do most earnestly protest” the Republican amendments, saying, “irony and sarcasm have been substituted for argument.”
In the end, Senator McCumber’s objections went for naught. Wilson, suffering from failing health, chose not to debate the issue in the Senate. The Senate rejected the treaty by a vote of 39 to 55.
In August 1921, the United States signed a separate peace treaty with Germany, formally ending hostilities with both Germany and the Austro-Hungarian government.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Grand Forks Herald. “McCumber Urges Rejection of All Amendments and Changes in Reservations to Treat.” Grand Forks ND. 9/15/1919. Page 1.
- Imperial War Museum. “The Peace Treaties That Ended the First World War.” https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-peace-treaties-that-ended-the-first-world-warAccessed 8/7/2025.
- Reference. “Why Didn’t the United States Sign the Treaty of Versailles.” https://www.reference.com/history-geography/didn-t-united-states-sign-treaty-versailles-ccf61f2e5458e22dAccessed 8/7/2025.
