The Washington herald., 1919-11-19
LODGE PLAN READY
FOR FINAL BALLOT

will do.
Whether the President has advised
his supporters to vote against ratifi-
cation or to vote to ratify and allow
him to decide whether the treaty
should be pigeonhoIed or deposited
are questions which aroused the
greatest speculation among Demo-
cratic Senators.
Doubts Any Compromise.
Senator Hitchcock was asked
whether there still existed any chance
for compromise on the reservations.
He replied that some OF the Republi-
cans. meaning the mild reservation
ists," though there was Asked
whether a change in the wording of
the preamble of the reservations
would satisfy the President. the Sem
ator replied that II would not
Would elimination Of the preamble
and acceptance of your reservation
on Article Ten be satisfactory to the
PRESIDENT"
That would help very much. 1t
would give a pretty strong basis of
compromise
But Senator Hitchcock went on to
explain that the reservation to Ar
ticle Y. which he submitted was full
ly as Objectionable to him as the one
the Senate adopted. He said he put
IL in IN a hurry and had no inten-
tion Of accepting It cv standing spon-
sor for 1t. The language Is almost
Identical with that adopted by the
Senate, although Senator Hitchcock
believes 1t might be construed by for
eiyn powers as less offensive.
Conferences Are Numerous.
There were numerous conferences in
which an effort was made by the Eem-
ocratic leaders to find out just how
far they could count upon the sup
port of the Republicans in bringing
about a modification of the reserva-
ton Senator Lenroot, spokesman for
the mild reservationists, put a damper
on these overtures by notifying Sen
atOr Hitchcock that all negotiations
would have to he conducted through
Se::aGor Lodge. the Re..Iblican leader.
Later in the day Senator Lodge was
in conference with Senator Hitchcock
and reported back to Senator Lenroot
that the Democratic leaders have no
definite proposition looking toward a
compromise. and probably would not
be in a position to submit a PROPOSE
tion until after the vote has been Ia
ken on the Lodge resolution.
Senator Lodge expressed the belief
that the Administration followers will
be unable to win any votes among the
Republicans, and that the issue will
continue to be the Lodge reservations
or nothing.
Reservations Adopted.
The reservations adopted yesterday
relate to the matter Of participation
by the United States in the labor
clauses Of the treaty. and the ques-
tion Of the unequal voting power in
the league which the peace conference
awarded to the British Empire. The
first reservation. proposed by Sem
ator McCumber. provides that the
United States shall not give its as
sent to the labor provisions except
by act of Congress. This was adopted,
81 to IS. after a substitute proposed
by Senator King had been rejected,
g to 4S.
The reservation covering the in
inequality of voting was proposed by
Senator Lenroot and was adopted, %
to 4S The reservation merely recites
that the United States shall refuse
to be bound by any decision of the
league in which one nation casts more
than one vote.
Senator Johnson. OF California. made
a determined effort to have the reser-
walton go further and include the prin-
ciple that in any voting arrangement
the United States should have just
as many votes as the British En-
pire. A combination of the mild
reservation" Republicans and most of
the Democrats. however, defeated his
reservation The vote was so close,
q to IS. that the Senator gave notice
he would ask for another vote when
the treaty is before the Senate on
final ratification.
Senator Phelan later offered a reser-
walton to recognize the validity of the
Fourteen Points, which was rejected,
u to %. A reservation by Senator
Knox. declaring that the treaty was
to be ratified only to the extent of
recognizing the status of peace was
defeated. 30 to 81.