Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-07-24

Washington, July 90. (By the Asso-
ciated Press.)-A plan for "interpreta-
tions' In Senate acceptance of the
League Of Nations has been suggested
by former President Taft in the hope
Of uniting on a middle ground enough
democratic and republican senators to
covenant and in the end obtain it's rat
| ification.
The suggestion has been received
with earnest consideration by the group
OF republicans who favor the league
Idea and who already are at work on
definite program Of interpretive reser-
vations which they declare they have
reason to believe will be accepted by
the administration. The administra-
tion leaders, however. unwilling to con-
| cede that any reservations will be nee
essary, still insist they will have the
votes when the time comes to ratify
the covenant as 1t Is.
So confident are the league republi-
cans of the success of their plan that
some of them believe President Wilson
will publicly accept it to smooth the
way to acceptance of the league. Some
republican senators who have seen the
President in the last few days have
the impression that Mr.. Wilson. while
not encouraging reservations If they
/ can be avoided might not be adverse
to such interpretations as would leave
the league fabric unimpared. They
say, however that this impression is
not based on any direct statement by
the President.
CREATES SENSATION
sensation in the Senate because of his
well known advocacy of unreserved rati-
tication, was embodied in two letters to
| VIII II. Hays, the republican national
chairman. copies of which reached some
| republican senators to-day They touched
upon many features of the treaty con-
troversy and emphasized the former
presidents belief that only by accept
ance OF some reservations could the treaty
| be ratified.
MAY WIN OVER DIRECTORS
Six specific Interpretation proposals
are outlined which Mr.. Taft says he is
convinced will meet the objections of a
large group of republicans who favor a
league. He counted 45 democratic sena-
tors as supporting the President in the
treaty fight and says that should three
| republicans De committed 10 vote against
material amendments no such proposals
| could receive a Senate majority.
The former president suggested to Mr.
| Hays that his name be withheld for the
present from connection with the inter
pretation plan since it might antagonize
some senators of his party Chairman
Lodge of the foreign relations committee
who is named in that connection. declined
to-day to make any comment on the Taf
| letter.
Mr., Taft also has written some of the
| republican senators, who, under tn,
leadership of Senators McCumber o.
North Dakota and McNary of Oregon
have been interested in formulating
middle course for solution of the Senate
situation. 1t is understood that Sena
tors Kellogg Of Minnesota, Colt of Rhode
Island and Spencer of Missouri also have
been consulted in the interests of such
a plan.
| In one of his letters TO Mr.. Hays, Mr.
Taft severely criticized President Wilson
for his partisan" course during the wa
and in the peace negotiations and in thu
other gave the impression that no ser
ious opposition Is to be feared to an.
portion of the peace treaty except thu
league covenant The Shantllng provision