New-York tribune., 1919-06-21
Lodge and Brandegee Will
Return to Washington to
Adjust Differences on
League Issue Tonight
Sheppard for Covenant
Capital Shows Interest in
Visit of Elihu Root to
Kaox on ''Private'' Case

indications are that the Senators op
posed to the league of nations, ant
those who wish to amend it radically
will now content themselves by seekins
to amend the treaty or ratifying Il
with reservations covering their objec.
tions.
Two speeches on the league were
made in the Senate to-day. Senator
Sheppard, Democrat, of Texas, spoke in
support of the covenant. Senator Sher-
man, Republican, of Illinois, aroused q
storm by saying the league of nations
might end the separation of Church and
State and bring the civilized world
under the domination ~ the Vatican.
He asserted that the Roman Catholic
Church would be represented in the
league assembly by twentyfour votes
out of forty-five.
A meeting of the Republican leaders
cuss the situation in the Senate regard
ing the treaty and the league. Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge, the Republican
leader, who has been in Massachusetts
for the last week, is expected back in
Washington late tonight and will pre-
side over the meeting. His chief lieu
tenant, Senator Brandegee, of Connec-
ticut, who also has not been in the
Senate during the week, told Repub-
llcan Senators over the telephone that
he would be present at this meeting.
Differences Among Republicans
-. There is great deal Of dissatisfac-
ton among some Of the Republican
Senators as to the way the fight for
the resolution has been handled. Some
of them think that the Republican lead
ers should have fought for vote on
the Knox resolution, no matter how
many doubtful Senators there might be,
because of the practical certainty that
more than one-third of the entire Sen
ate would vote for the resolution.
At the meeting tomorrow, 1t is
hoped, the differences will be smoothed
over and some plan of action for in
surlng the amending of the covenant
of the league, so far as America is con-
cerned at least, worked out.
Many Senators, however, believe that
slt is now too late to attempt to force
a vote on the resolution, so far as any
effect on Paris is concerned. The Ad-
mlnlstration leaders are just as firmly
determined to prevent vote a at any
stage of the proceedings. nothwith-
standing the fact that some of their
own members, such as Senator Cham
berlaln, of Oregon, are now firmly in
line against the Knox resolution, while
the number of Republican Senators
who cannot be surely counted on for
the resolution has been increasing.
Root and Knox Confer
A visit of Elhu Root to the Senate
wing of the Capitol to-day caused great
interest, not only among the Repub-
licans, who are wondering what the
next move in the league fight is going
to be, but among Administration Sena-
tors as we'll. Mr.. Root talked for near
ly an hour with Senator Knox, author
of the resolution.
my conversation with Senator Knox
was purely personal and private" Mr.
Root said afterward. II happened to
meet him, and went into his Office for a
cigar and a chat"
Did you not also see Senator
Borah?" ne was asked.
81 happened to meet him as he was
entering the Capitol" said Mr.. Root
with smile, "and believe he said |
was looking we'll"
Senator Sherman, in the course of
his speech against the league, said he
was making it against the advice of
many of his friends and was in no
sense voicing the sentiments of his
party on the subject.
Il have no personal feeling in the
matter he asserted. 81 am a member
OF no church ! regret to say. This is
not a political question: cannot go
to any leader for consultation"
Objection Foolish, Says Ashurst
Senator Ashurst, Democrat, Of Ari-
zona, replied to Senator Sherman and
said the objection raised by the Illi-
nois Senator was foolish" Oppo-
nents of the league, he said, had
argued first that kings would dominate
the league and then in quick success
sion that it would be ruled by Great
Britain, by the Bolshevists, by the
negro races, and now by the Catholic
Church.
Ashurst, "believes any church is coins
to try to dominate the world. 1t IS an
insane, a monstrous idea. If there is
one question on which the churches are
united it is on the proposal that some
thlng be done to preserve peace and
promote the prosperity of all nations.
am tired OF these appeals to religious
prejudice"
Senator Thomas, Democrat, Colorado,
also vigorously deplored the injection
OF religious questions into the treaty
debate
IF religious questions are to be in
troduced into this subject" said Mr..
Thomas. pounding his desk with his
tst, 1T will prove most unfortunate for
America and the world"
Senator Sherman said in his addre IS ::
Sherman on the Vatican
From an early age the occupants of
the Vatican have believed in the inher
ent right of papal authority to admin
lster civil government. 1t is with the
utmost regret | fail to find recorded in
the course of papal claims of later days
any remuneration or disavowal of the
doctrine. So far as a layman can dis
cover, the Vatican still believes it
ought to, and would, if the power per
mtted, assume to administer ecclesi-
astical and civil government as it,.
joint, exclusive and paramount power.
Il am not of that happy variety who
care nothing for history | am com
PEELED by my habits of thought to admit
It's value in the affairs Of men. We can
no more ignore proper precautions
with impunity and survive than the for
gotten races of history, whose temples
and affairs are covered with the drift
ing dust Of centuries.
"Of the original thirty-two member
nations signatores to the proposed
league twenty-eight are Christian mn
tions~and four are of other faiths. or
these twenty-eight Christian nations
seventeen are Catholic nations, either
majority or an overwhelming prcpon-
derance Of the population being Of
that religious faith, and elcvon are
Protestant. Tho Catholic members are
Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba. Ecua-
dor. Franco Cnafarna1o un..si rY