The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-08-19
TREATY FIGHT GETS
WARMER AT EVERY TURN
President Said to Maintain Textual
Amendments Would Send Treaty
Renegotiation Without Mill
tary Force.

Washington, Aug. 16.-As a Sc
quel to the White House conference
yesterday between President Wilson
and Senator Hitchcock, administra-
ton leader in the senate treaty
fight, it became apparent today that
the administration forces would CEN
ter their present efforts on bringing
the treaty out of the committee and
defeating any textual amendments,
leaving in the background any ne
gotiations ralative to final ratifca-
ton with reservations.
Resistance Stiffens.
Meantime, Republican senators
declared one result of the negotia-
tions of the last few days and of
Senator Hitchcock's statements after
he left the president had been to
stiffen resistance to any attempt at
unreserved ratification and to in
crease the determination of those
who want the treaty amended out
right. They asserted yesterdays
poll had shown opposition to the
Shantung provision growing stronger
in the face Of the explanatory state
ments from Toxic and from the
White House.
Feature of Fight.
The reported position Of the presi-
dent that any textual amendments
would send the treaty back for re-
negotiation with Germany without
any military force to compel accept
ance of the American demands was
taken as largely forecasting the
trend of the amendment fight. 1t
was understood that feature would
be emphasized by Senator Hitch
cock in speech he is expected to
make next week in the senate.
Republican Claims.
The fact that Senator Hitchcock
did not quote the president as stand
ing uncompromisingly against reser-
vatons for the same reason was
pointed out as significant by some
of the group Of Republicans who un-
der the lead Of Senator McNary,
Republican, Oregon, have agreed on
a set of reservations. They declar-
ed all the elements of the situation
here bore out their claims of Wed
nesday that they had information IN
suring Democratic assent to their
program.
Lodges Attitude.
Among this group there was some
favorable comment during the day
on the new set of reservations shown
to Republican senators by Republl-
can Leader Lodge. In the same
quartet it was pointed out that
should he definitely give his support
to a reservation program acceptable
to a large number of senators, the
logical outcome might be draft OF
reservations by him which would be-
come the rallying point of the Re-
publican reservation forces.
Only Open Question.
It is known that Mr.. Lodge has
been studying number of drafts,
including those drawn by the Nc
Nary group and those suggested by
Elihu Root, William H. Taft and
; Charles E. Hughes. He is under
stood not to have stood sponsor for
the draft he showed to the Republi-
can senators, however, but to have
merely submitted them for consid-
Grafton.
Republicans assert that the only
possible outcome, if reservations are
to be adopted in place of textual
amendments, will be agreement on a
draft drawn by Mr.. Lodge or some
other senator which must be accept
ed by the Democrats.
The only open question, they de-
clare, is how drastic the reservations
are to be.
The Democratic leaders, however,
maintained there had been no
change in their stand for unreserved
ratification. In some quarters the
outcome Of the conference between
the president and Senator Hitchcock
was interpreted to mean that Mr..
Wilson would fight uncompromising-
lv against both amendments and res
ervations. It was inferred by some
senators in that connection that the
president had refused to counten-
ance the negotiations looking to res
ervations which have been conducted
by some Democrats.
Crossing the Bridges.
n n