The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-14
Administration Forces in Senate Ready to Line Up for Ratification With Reservations as Soon as Score of Republican Votes 1 Are Assured
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By Associated Prsss


 The trend toward agreement on reservations in the peace treaty reached the stage today where the group of rep p~~-~an senators advocating reserva- tions received assurances which they accepted as guaranteeing democratic assent to their pro- gramme.
 Word reached members of the group, it was said, that as soon as they could pledge a score of republican votes for reservations to the league of nations covenant taking the line recently agreed on by seven republican senators, the ad- be willing to line up on that basis for ratification of the treaty.
 There was an intimation also that the reservationists had reason to believe their ranks eventually would include Senator Lodge, chairman of the foreign relations committee and republican lead CT of the Senate.
  would be enough with the administration democrats to make up the two-thirds necessary for ratification. The program me on which it is sought to unite these clements contemplate reservations to fur ther protect the Monroe doctrine to in- sure domestic control over domestic questions, to arnplify the right of with drawal, and to fortify the power of Con- gress to decide questions of peace or war under article 10.
 It was declared the information that democrats were in receptive mood to- ward such a proposal did not come from Senator Hitchcock of Nebraska, the ad- ninistra ton leader, but from a source considered entirely authoritative The Nebraska senator himself denied that he had taken part in any such negotia- tions and said his advocacy of unreserv- ed ratification remained unaltered. MT Lodge also denied that he had given as- sent to the proposed reservations.
 WON'T TOLERATE DELAY
 Meantime, however, at a meeting o' the foreign relations committee, senator ! Hitchcock gave notice that unless the committee completed without undue de 1av it's consideration of the treaty, some independent action might be expected ton the floor of the Senate. In the sug- gestion for speedy action Chairman Lodge concurred, and the upshoot or heated discussion was an announceIneh' that the committee begin tomorrow the consideration of proposed amendments.
 Although Senator Hitchcock said nc definite plan for independent Senate ac' t;on had been formulated, it is known that the possibility of taking the treaty away from the committee and prlngihe it to a vote has been discussed Inter rnittently in many instances among sena tors, Democrats in regard to the reseIVa tion representatives have been lnsisten tbat nnb1ic sentiment demanded position of the treaty without delay.
 FIGHT NEARING END
 Among many senators the days devei' opments were interpreted as marking ,l' beginning of the end of the long treaty fight. This prediction was by no mean, mean unanimous, however Some repuplicai members of the committee believe they sbo,,ld have more information be1or' thev act. and two of them, senator Johnson of California and Borah O Idaho wrote letter to Chairman Loos' today asking that General Bliss, CoioIie House and others connected with .n Versailles negotiations be asked 10 Ap near before the committee
 The general expectation was, however +hat the committed would not change ll nlor to proceed to decision on tn treaty and that outside the commute the events might shape up even mo, rapidly. After they heard rom .l democrats today, the reservation repuo licans began poll to ascertain 3us' aU, nanv of their party they could couii an in their negotiations. Then early au iournment of the Senate interrupted LII move but within a day or two they eN pect to have more dennite loea their strength.
 ADDITIONS REPORTED
 r. was asserted there had been sev AraI additions to the group. but n senator has publicly announced Ill adherence to the plan since it Wa agreed on by the original seven sen ators. These seven are Senators NC Cumber. North Dakota; McNarry, Ore gon Kellogg, Minnesota, Colt, Rnoa Island; Cummins, Iowa; Lenroot, WIS consin' and Spencer. Missouri
 Tha exact basis for their hope tha Senato- Lodge will join in the move menr was not revealed by the reserva ton leaders. It was pointed out, now ever. that in his address to the Sen ate yesterday he did not plead for re lection of the league entirely, but out lined objections to the covenant pro visions dealt with by the propose reservations In one. instance he spok of "changing'' one of these provision Friends of the foreign felal.o ] chairman have declared that he woul insist at least on reservations amendments with teeth in them and republican members of the con mittee who want to defeat the leagu covenant entirely declared toniSl they were confident MT. Lodge wou' vote with them in that proposal. The situation in the committee ma be brought to a head by the letter Senators Johnson and Borah askIn that further witnesses be called. Tf question probably will come up tomol N row.
 Senators Fall, republican. New Mel ico and Moses. republican. New Haml shire, also are understood to ha, suggested the calling of more wi nesses at today's meeting. Senat: Fall is said to have declared the con mittee could not be expected to pa intelligently on all the obligations en bodied in the treaty until the otn treaties being negotiated at Versail, were before it.
 MINDS MADE UP
 Senator Hitchcock told the comrni tee that virtually every senator h. made up his mind how he would vo
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