Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-11-08
Mild Reservationists and IT.
reConci|ab|e Group Of Treaty
Foes Stand Together in At.
tack for First Time.
DEADLOCK PLANNED TO
FORCE COMPROMISE
Administration Leader Con-
fers With President Who
Approves Plan to Win Point
Proposed by Democrats.

Washington, Nov. 7.-The first
affirmative step toward qualifca-
ton of the peace treaty was taken
today by the senate after admins
traticn leaders, with the backing OF
President Wilson, had re-affirmed
their intention of voting against
ratification of the reservations
drawn by the senate majority are
adopted.
The initial test of strength on
the reservation program of the for
eign relations committee found the
republicans almost sqlid1y united
behind it, the group Of mild reser-
vationists who helped kill the COM
mittee's amendments and the ire
concilable group Of treaty foes
standing together for the first time
since the long treaty fight began.
Debate First Reservation.
5, By vote of 48 to 40 the senate
approved after all efforts to amend
it had failed the committees pre-
amble to the reservation group, re-
curing that to make the treaty
binding at least three of the four
great powers must accept the sem
ate qualifications.
The only republican who did not
Iswing into line for the proposal was
Senator McCumber' of North, Da-
kota, while three democrats, Sena-
tors Reed. Missouri; Gore, Okla
homa, and Walsh, Massachusetts,,
voted with the majority. .5,
When adjournment was reached,
the, first of the IA reservations was
under debate and republicans lead
ers were claiming that they had safe
majorities pledged for the entire
group. The mild reservationists, it
was declared had turned down a
new democratic offer of compromise
while the irreconcilable wing was
devising a plan of action by which
they hoped to defeat the treaty en-
tirely. The best claim made by the
administration forces was that the
treaty would be wedged into a dead
lock which in the end would make
a compromise inevitable.
Hitchcock Visits Wilson.
The plan to vote against the
treaty and thus deadlock the ratifca-
ton fight was declared to have
President Wilson's unqualified sup
port. Senator Hitchcock of Nebras-
ka, the democratic leader, saw the
president during the day for the
first time since Mr.. Wilson returned
from his speaking tour and went
over the entire situation surround
ing the treaty in tRe senate. After
ward Mr.. Hitchcock said the ex-
ecutive, regarded the committee res
ervations as destructive" and the
preamble as very embarrassing"
and advised the senators to stand
by their guns.
The president was said to have
asserted an aggressive position to
acceptance of reservations which
would impair the treaty, but to have
shown Willingness to leave the
matter of compromise in the
hands of the administration sena-
tors to be worked out after the
deadlock stage had been reached.
Mr.. Wilson explained, Senator
Hitchcock said, that he had sent for
the administration leader to give as
surance of his support in the con-
templated program and of his graft
tude over the successful fight against
amendments.
Hitchcock Is Confident.
After the White House confer
ence the democratic leader declared
his conviction that there would be
no compromise until the deadlock
actually had developed. He con-
ceded that most of the committee
reservations would be written into
/ the resolution and that after the lat
ter-had been killed by democratic
votes an unqualified ratification res
olution also would probably fail.
Then the time would be ripe, he
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