The Washington herald., 1919-06-07
SENATE ORDERS
PROBE OF LEAK
and PACT COPY
Vote for Investigation After
Tilt Between Lodge
And Hitchcock.
END TO CONTROVERSY
Johnson S Resolution Ask
ing for Treaty Text
Slipped Over.
END TO CONTROVERSY

The senate yesterday, by unanim-
Gus vote. ordered an investigation
Of the process by which Wall Street
of the peace treaty before-President
Wilson was willing that the treaty
should be placed in the hands Of the
Senate.
The Foreign Relations Committee
will meet next Monday to appoint
a subcommittee to conduct the in
Sestfgation.
Also. the Senate adopted the reso-
hntion by Senator Hiram johnson
directing the State Department to
send the full text of the treaty to
the Senate without delay.
Acting Secretary Polk announced
that he would cable to President
Wilson to ascertain II he had per-
mission to obey the Senate's man
date.
Concludes Controversy.
The adoption Of the two resolutions
brought to an apparently harmonious
conclusion the controversy which has
been waged in the Senate over the
suppression of the treaty and the
knowledge that specially favored
bankers in Wall Street were able to
get copies, while the Senate could
not
Nevertheless. there is no certainty
that the State Department will favor
The Senate with copies OF the treaty.
nor is 1t believed by the sponsors of
The resolution for an investigation
that it will be determined precisely
bow the copies found their way to
Wall Street Y The Investigation was
demanded by the Democratic Senators
IN a burst OF wrath over the insinu-
alton that President Wilson had been
either directly or indirectly respon-
sible for the Wall Street leak" 1t
was granted by the Republican ma
1or1ty because the. probe admittedly
can do no harm to the Republican
side and there is the possibility that
II might show that some person in the
Presidents peace party" was guilty
Of allowing the treaty to circulate in
the purlieus Of big Business"
Have wordy Passage.
Preceding the passage or the inyes-
ugation resolution, there was a de-
bate between Senators Hitchcock and
Lodge which was characterized by an
acrimonious exchange of compliments.
Senator Hitchcock arose in great
wrath when he discovered that Sena-
tor Lodge favored a substitute reso-
luton by Senator Kellogg rather than
the resolution which Hitchcock intro
dueed two days ago. The kellogg
substitute omitted the names of Sem
aIors Lodge and Borah. who were
mentioned in the ''whereases" of the
hitchcock resolution as the persons
VINO made the charges in the Senate
that wall street has the treaty,
senator Hitchcock declared he was
amazed at the position taken bv
senator Lodge and professed to find
IN ms action an attempt to smother
the investigation. Senator Lodge re-
torted that it was a matter OF tota,
lhdinerence to him whether or nor III,
name or that Of Senator Borah was
mentioned in the resolution.
senator Kellogg explained that
ms resolution went further than
@ OF hltehcock's in that it pro-
10 INQUIRE whether the treaty
hg soId broadcast throughout
ny ana the neutral countries
many is selling her peace trea+n -.
the streets or not? That is 49, ~
question. The question Is tbe in~
tegrity OF the American governnant
ana off1cials of the government
Have our representatives in paris
permitted interests in New YORK 70
Est possession Of. these COPIES of
the peace treaty for their own
selhsh use? Did the Senator fron,
massachusetts, see such a copv in
New York and spend an hour and
halt In reading it?''
Lodge Displays Ire,
Senator Lodge at this last o1es-
ton jumped to his feet. and shaking
his finger angrily at Senator Hitcb7
cock, exclaimed:
Il have said so and I do not de-
cllne To- repeat it," Advancing TO-
wards the Nebraska Senator. his
extended finger still angrily waving
senator Lodge inquired: Does the
senator question the truth of what
! have said?"
The question was not answered
senator Hitchcock adroitfy chang
ing the line of inquiry by insisting
that he had a right to have inves.
ngated any statement made in the
Senate.
Inc Democrats were caught man,
ping when the johnson resolution
was brought up for Consideration
only handful of those on the DEM
ecratic side being in the chamber
ARnatnr