Arizona republican., 1919-11-08
Definite Steps to Qualifica-
ton of Peace Treaty Are
Taken-Test Vote Dis
closes Strength
Republican A. P. Leased Wire1


WASHINGTON, Nov. Z. - The first
affirmative step to qualification of The
peace treaty was taken today by the
senate after administration leaders,
with the backing of President Wilson,
had reaffirmed their intention of vot-
ing against ratification if the rescrva-
tions drawn by the senate majority
are adopted.
The initial test of real stt engtE on
the reservation program of the foreign
relations committee found the repub-
licans almost solidly united oahind it,
The group of mild reservationists who
helped kill the committee amend
ments and the irreconcilabe group Of
treaty foes standing together for the
first time since the long treaty fight
began.
Reservation Preamble Approved
By a vote of As to 40, the senate ap-
proved, after all efforts to amend it
had failed, the committees preamble
to the reservation group, requiring tha.
to make the treaty binding a. least
three of the four great powers must
accept the senate qualifications. The
only republican who did not swing into
line for the propocal was Senator Nc
Cumber of North Dakota, while three
democrats, Senators Reed of VI ssouri,
Gore of Oklahoma and Walsh of Mas
sachusetts voted with the majority.
When adjournment was reached, the
first Of the IA reservations was under
debate, and republican leaders were
claiming that they had safe maiorities
pledged for the entire group. The mild
reservationists. it was dec ared, had
turned down a new democratic Cffer OF
compromise, while the irreconcilable
wing was devising a plan of action
by which they hoped TO defeat the
treaty entirely. The hest claim made
by the administration forces was that
the treaty would be wsdgei into a
deadlock which in the end would make
compromise inevitable.
The plan to vote against the treaty
ara thus deadlock +ho ratification
fight was declared to have President
Wilson's unqua flied support. Senator
II .tchcocl of Nebraska, the democratic
leader, saw the president during the
day for the first time since Mr.. VII
s6p returned from his pealling tnur
and went over the sn+i's situaticI
surrc unding the treatv in the senate
Attelwald Mr.. Hitchcock said the ex-
ecdtive regarded the committee resrr
vaticus as obstructive and the pre-
ainrle as very embs-rass '1g, ;,hd
advised the administration senators fc
stand by their guns.
Hope For Compromise
The president was said to have as
serted an aggressive opposition to ac-
ceptance of reservations which would
| impair the treaty, but to have showr
a. willingness to leave the matter of &
compromise in the hands of the ad.
ministration senators, to be worked
out after the deadlock stage had beer
reached. Mr.. Wilson explained. Sen
ator Hitchcock said, that he had sen
| for the administration leader to giv'
assurance of his support in the con
| templated program and of his graft
tude over the successful fight agains
amendments.
After the White House conferenc,
the democrat leader declared his con
! viction that there would be no com
promise until the deadlock actual,
had developed. He conceded that mos
of the committee reservations woulC
be written into the ratification resolu
/ ton and that after the latter had beel
| killed by democratic votes an un
qualified ratification resolution ads
would probably fail Then the tim
would be ripe, he declared, for tn
senators favoring ratification withou
reservations and those wanting rati
fication with reservations to get to
| s;ether.
! BY leaders of the reservation re
publicans the possibility of such
compromise was emphatically denied
and it was declared the group ha'
gone as far as it would go in curtail
Ing treaty qualifications. Feelers ha,
been thrown out Immediately afte
Senator Hitchcock returned from tn
White House, these senators declared
and had been absolutely fruitless
They were more uncertain as to wha
might happen, however, should tn
irreconcilable enemies of the treat
adopt the course, said to he advocate
by some Of them. of demanding NOR
: drastic reservations as the price 0
keeping the republican majority i
tact.
The Preamble
As it was adopted by the senat,
, the reservation preamble was as fol
! lows:
"The reservations and understand
/, ings adopted by the senate are to b
| made a part and condition of the reso
luton of ratification, which ratifica
tion is not to take effect or bind tn
, United States until the said reserva
; tiops and understandings adopted b
the senate have been accepted by a
exchange of notes as a part and con
dition of said resolution of ratifica
tion by at least three of the four prin
cipal allies and associated powers, to
wit: Great Britain, France, Italy an
Japan
With the same lineup the senat
, rejected, 4S to 40, two proposals b
Senator McCumber to modify the ae
ceptance requirement and also vote
down. SO to %. a motion by Senate
Borah, a republican, Idaho. to requir
; acceptance by all four of the power
named. An amendment by Senate
King, democrat. Utah. to make tao
: recognition of the United States as
party to the treaty equivalent to al
2 firmative acceptance Of the qualifica
ffone mae beatan Ae IN 40