The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-02-15
LINES OF ATTACK
ON COVENANT
Opponents Of League Of Ma
tions Pick Flaws in Pro-
posed Plan.
PRINCIPAL OBJECTIONS
Lie in Control Of Naval and
Military Forces and Arma- :
ment Reduction.

Washington, FeF 1.-The lines Of
attack upon the df Csc Of the league
Of nations consti on. read to the
plenary session Sne peace confer
ence by Presidei Svilson. were TAX
ing form in the siate today.
Preliminary : mishing was ex-
pected this afs- Z oon. but the main
battle of opints Is not expected. be-
fore the con& ,tion draft ID acted
upon by the tp>-ce conference.
Senator's expect that many amend
ments to the proposed constitution
will be offered. especially by the rep
resentatives Of the smaller powers.
These amendments, they believed,
would be rejected for the most part
and the constitution approved by the
conference practically as 1t was re-
ported.
The principal objections in the
senate to the covenant as it was
drafted are:
/. That it does not. make clear
what agency is to control the naval
and military forces that may be
called upon to enforce the judgments
of the league.
of an outside agency how great shall
be the reduction in the ornaments
of the several members Of the league.
These will be the two main points
upon which the attack of opponents
of the league of nations idea in the
senate will center. ihere are many
minor objections, and at the same
time many of the general ideas con-
tained in the constitution are COM
mended. even by those most bitterly
opposed to any departure from the
policy Of no entangling alliances.
Senators on both sides were in
clined to agree that the league of
nations will be successful only inso-
far as it is successfully administered.
This idea was expressed by Senator
Hitchcock, chairman of the foreign
relations committee. and Senator
Lewis. administration whip, both
ardent supporters of the idea, and by
Senators Borah and Knox, two Of
ltS opponents.
Analysis Of Constitution.
Senator Hitchcock has prepared
an analysis Of the constitution and a
detailed Interpretation of its provi-
sions for submission to the senate.
He will not make the statement this
afternoon, he said, unless forced to
do so by opposition criticism.
The most frequent criticism, heard
among opponents of the idea today,
was that the plan was "unconstitu-
tional." Another criticism was that
it throws the Monroe doctrine on
the scrapheap." Neither point will
be greatly stressed, however, when
the debate begins. .
There were reports today that ad-
ministration leaders in the senate
were planning the introduction of a
resolution putting the senate on rec
ord as approving the presidents
course"
1t is recognized by the democrats
that the introduction Of such a res
olution would occasion "prolonged
debate" from the republican side of
the chamber. all of which would
nave to be answered on behalf of the
administration. Thus the republican
end-the forcing of an extra session
would be achieved without the en-
ployment of filibuster tactics.
The contention of some admins
tration leaders that the league of
nations constitution is not a treaty,
and therefore does not have to be
ratified by the senate, found no sup
port among opponents of the league.
They did, however. accept at face
value the prediction of Senator
Lewis that the president will seek
ratification Of the constitution of the
league before the final peace treaty
is submitted to the senate.