South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-05-24
FIRST SK|RMISH
OVER PEACE PACT
PRESAGEs FIGHT
Resolution Asking Complete
Text for Senate to Be
Urged Further.

WASHINGTON. May 24.-The
peace treaty with its league OF ma
tions covenant. was debated for
three hours in the senate Friday. and
at adjournment the resolution which
furnished the vehicle for the discus
sion went over as unfinished bust
ness TO come up again when the SEN
ate reconvenes Monday.
The resolution merely calls on the
state department TO furnish the SEN
ate with complete text Of the treaty,
but as the debate progressed discus
sion shifted 20 the merits of the
league and treaty themselves. A
dozen senators, including the lead
ers on bottle sides. were drawn into
the discussion and sharp exchanges
presaged the bitterness Of the night
that is to come when the treaty ac-
tually comes up for ratification
Expect Long Argument.
Opponents of the treaty in its
present form lined up generally for
the resolution and those supporting
the treaty ltdAN AtA NAAN DPPOe-~AcA-
There was no attempt TO reach a
vote, however. and some senators
predicted il would he several days
before the preliminary skirmish OF
the treaty tight would come to a de-
cision. The leaders both for and
gainst, apparently are feeling their
way carefully.
Sen johnson. of California, re
publican, author of the resolution,
started the debate today with a
short speech charging that the
treaty supporters had something to
conceal" This assertion drew an in
dignant reply from Sen. Hitchcock
of Nebraks, ranking democratic
member on the foreign relations
committee, who declared the presi-
dent was following well-established
precedent in keeping the treaty text
in confidence, and that for the SEN
ate to request him to do otherwise
would be a gross breach of internal
proprieties."
Lodge Makes Reply.
Republican Leader Lodge, pros
pective chairman of the foreign re-
latiOns committee, replied TO Mr.
Hitchcock. declaring there was nc
improperly in the resolution unless
&c were improper to call attention to
the new method of open covenants
openly arrived at" Every shop
keeper in Germany. said the Massa-
chusetts senator. was reading the
treaty as made public at Berlin, yet
the senate was provided only with a
worthless official abstract
A charge that the republicans
were attempting to make the treaty
a partisan question, was made by
crat, who cited as evidence the tele-
gram sent by Mr.. Lodge some weeks
ago TO republican senators, aSkinE
them not to discuss the revised
league OF nations covenant pending
a party conference. The republican
leader retorted that the telegram
had no such purpose and that mot
a word" of discussion of the treaty
had passed in any of the conferences
! of republican senators.
In the course of the debate a bit
Ger attack on the league covenant
and on Pres't Wilson's course in the
peace conference, was made by Sen
, Sherman, OF Illinois, republican. who
earlier in the day had presented a
resolution declaring it the sense oil
the senate that the treaty and the
, covenant should be considered sep.
arately when they come up for rati-
| ticatiOn. AT. Mr. Sherman's request
his resolution went over and will be
called up for debate next week.