The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-07-29
OFFERS COMPROMISE
In The TREATY FIGHT
FORMER PRESIDENT TAFT URG-
ES RESERVATIONS. BELIEV-
ED WILSON WILL YIELD.


ance of the league of nations has
been suggested by former President
Taft in the hope of uniting on mid
die ground enough democratic and
republican senators to defeat any
radical amendment of the covenant
and in the end obtain its ratification.
The suggestion has been received
with earnest consideration by the
group of republicans who favor the
league idea and who are at work on
a definite program of interpretative
reservations which they declare they
have reason to believe will be accept
ed by the administration.
So confident are the league repub-
licans 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 come away from
the white house with the impression
that Mr.. Wilson, while not encour-
aging reservations if they can be
avoided, might not be adverse to
such interpretations as would leave
the league fabric unimpaired.
Taft's Suggestion a Sensation.
Mr.. Taft's suggestion, which Gre
ated a sensation in the senate be-
cause of his well-known advocacy of
unreserved ratification, was embod
led in two letters to Will H. Hays,
the republican national chairman,
copies of which reached some repub-
lican senators today. They touched
upon many features of the treaty
controversy and emphasized the for
mer presidents belief that only by
acceptance of some reservations
could the treaty be ratified
Six specific interpretation propo-
sails are outlined, which Mr.. Taft
says he is convinced will meet the
objection of large group of repub-
licans who favor league. He counts
forty-fve democratic senators as sup
porting the president in the treaty
fight, and says that should three re-
publicans be committed to vote
against material amendments no
such proposals could receive a senate
majority.
In one of his letters to Mr.. Hays
Mr.. Taft severely criticised President
Wilson for his partisan" course dur
ing the war and in the peace nego-
tiations, and in the other gave the
impression that no serious opposition
is to be feared to any portion of the
peace treaty except the league COW
enant.
/ Taft's Six Reservations.
These six stipulations are under
stood to be substantially as follows
1. That upon two years notice the
United States could cease to be a
member of the league without having
the league pass upon whether she
had fulfilled all her obligations under
the covenant.
2. That self-governed colonies and
dominions could not be represented
on the league council at the same
time with the mother government, or
be included in any of those clauses
where the parties to the dispute are
excluded from its settlement.
3. That the functioning of the
council under the article ten shall be
advisory only and that each member
shall be left free to determine ques-
tons of war in its own way, the de-
cision of the United States resting
with congress.
4. That differences between the
nations regarding immigration, the
tariff and other domestic questions
shall not be left to the league for
settlement.
5. That the Monroe doctrine is to
be reserved for administration by
the United States.
6. That the United States reserves
the right to withdraw unconditional
ly at the end of ten years or at least
to terminate then her obligations un-
der article ten.
Alleged Mistakes by Wilson.
"The situation which confronts US
now in reference to the ratification
of the treaty is one created by very
serious mistakes of policy committed
by Mr.. Wilson. The partisan charac
ter of his administration during the
war, together with his appeal to his
countrymen to elect a democratic
congress in November, 1918, created
condition of personal and political
antagonism toward him among re-
publican leaders, which was shared
by a majority of the American peo-
pie. This was shown in the results
of the election. Notwithstanding this,
Mr.. Wilson persisted in continuing
the same partisan exclusion of re-
publicans in dealing with the highly
/ important matter of settling the re-
suits of the war. He selected COM
mission in which the republicans had
no representation and in which there
were no prominent Americans of any
real experience and leadership of
public opinion. With such commits
| l., oN,rca in