Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-07
u. 5. LAST GREAT
NATION TO RAT|Fy
Senate Delay Will Make Peace
Effective Without Ameri-
can Action
DEMOCRATS MARK TIME
Bv a Stag Correspondeai

Washington, Oct THE Ihlleu
States will be the last of the four great
nations that made war on Germany TO
ratify the peace treaty. it was conceded
by both the Democratic aud Republican
members of the Senate today. and the
treaty will be actually in effect ana
the United States will be at peace with
Germany. along with the other powers,
before it is ratified by the United states
Senate.
Japan. the fifth great nation to war
ngainst Germany, is apparently wait
ing to see what the United States Will
do about her claims to the rich Shan
tung province before ratifying, and VIII
ON that account be the last of the big
FIVE" to ratify.
Under the terms of the Versailles
neace treaty it becomes effective when
ever three Of the principal nations rat
ify it. Peace is then an actuality and
all trade restriction with Germany i'm
posed during the ware are abandoned
Conceded by President Wilson
President Wilson denied this for soy
eral weeks after his return from
France and held that the whole world
would still be at war until the United
States Senate ratified the. trcnty. He
urged this as strong reason for speedy
ratification. But when he appeared be :
for the Senate foreign relations com
mittee he was forced to admit, in an
swer to questions that the contention
of Senators Knox and Lodge that peace
became an actuality when three of the
principal nations that battled with Ger
E.l .
England ratified the treaty some time
ago. The French Chamber of Deputies
ratified it last Thursday by a vote OF
372 to So, and the French Senate is ex =
pected to ratify this week. Italy
ratified by royal decree yesterday, sub
ject to formal approval by Parliament
Senate in No Hurry
The United States Senate is showing
no inclination to hurry ratification
ahead of France in order to be one OF
the three principal powers upon whose
approval peace depends.
A week ago the Democrats seemed
in a hurry to bring matters to vote
and to conclusion, while the Re
publicans were trying to hold off a vote
and a showdown of strength as long as
possible. Now the Democrats are as
willing as the Republicans to drag
along.
The main reason for this is the wish
to wait until some of the Democratic
senator's can hold a conference with the
President to ascertain what sort OF
reservations he will accept The turn
for the worse in the Presidents cOndi
ton since his return has prevented con
ference of any kind and it is now diff
fcult to predict when they can be held
-- No Chance for Amendment
The turn of events in the Senate dur
ing the last week demonstrated beyOnt
all question that it will be impossible fo
the opponents of the league of nation
10 amend it, and. on the other hand
that it will be impossible to ratify i
without reservations to satisfy thos
who are unwilling to accept it in it
present shape.
The rejection of the Fall amendment
last Thursday by vote of IS TO so in
dicates clearly that the opponents o
the league have not the votes to amen
it and send it back to the Versatile
Peace Conference for approval.
Thirty votes in favor of amendments
however, out of eighty eight show
there are enough opponents of the leagu
to prevent its ratification as it nov
stands, two third vote being neces
sary.
The present week will in all proba
bility bring about show of strengt
in the Senate on the Shantung amend
ments, of which there are several. Thes
amendments will probably carry NOR
votes than the Fall amendments did bu