Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-08-17
President and Administration
Forces Center Their Efforts
Against Textual Amendments
to Treaty With Germany.
SHANTUNG PROVISION
. OPPOSITION GROWING
Say Changes in Text Would
Send Covenant Back to Teu-
tons Without Military Power
to Enforce Demands.


Associated Press.)-As. a sequel TO
the White House conference yes
terday between President Wilson
and Senator Hitchcock, administra-
ton leader in the senate treaty
fight, it became apparent today that
the administration forces would
center their present effort on bring
ing Ahe treaty out of committee aud
defeating any textual amendments,
leaving in the background any nego- .
tiations relative to final ratification
with reservations.
Meantime republican senators de-.
ciared one result of the negotiations
of the last few days and of Senator a
Hitchcock's statements after he left
the president, had been to stiffen re-
siatance to any + attempt at unre-
served ratification and to increase
the determination of those who
want the treaty amended outright.
They asserted yesterdays poll mad
shown opposition to the Shantuirg
provision growing stronger in the
face of the explanatory statements
from Toxic and from the White
House.
Trend Of Fight Forecast. -
The reported position of the
president that any Ntextual amend-
nents would send the treaty back
for negotiation with Germany with
Out any military force to compel ac-
ceptance of the American demands
was taken as largely forecasting the
trend of the amendment fight. 1t
was understood that feature would
be emphasized by Senator Hitch
cock in a speech be is expected to
make next week i'll the senate. The
fact that Senator Hitchcock did not
quote the president as standing un-
compromisingly against reserva-
tIons for the same reason was point
Cd out as significant by some of the
group of republicans, who, under
tie lead of Senator McNary, repub-
l1can, Oregon, have agreed on a set
Of reservations. They declared all
the elements of the situation bore ;.
out their claim Of Wednesday that
they had information insuring DEM
ocratic assent to their program. =
Some Favorable Comment.
Among the group there was some
favorable comment during the day
on the new set of reservations
shown to republican senators by Re-
publican Leader Lodge. In the same
quarter it was pointed out that
should he definitely give his sup.
port to a reservation program ac-
ceptable to large number of sena.
tors, the logical outcome might be
draft of reservations by him which
would become the ralIying point OF
the republican reservation forces.
1t is known that Mr.. Lodge has
been studying a number OF drafts
including those drawn by the Nc
Nary group and those suggested by
Elihu Root, William H. Taft and
Charles E. Hughes. He is under
stood not to bave stood sponsor for
the draft he showed to the fepub-
ilcail senators. however, but to have
merely submitted them for consid-
Grafton. r ~
May Agree With Lodge.A
Republicans assert that the only
possible outcome, if reservations are
to be adopted in place of textual
amendments, will be agreement on
the draft drawn by Mr.. Lodge or
some other senator which must be
accepted by the democrats. The
only open question, they declare, is
how drastic the reservations are
to be. ~
The democratic leaders, however,
maintained there had been no
change in their l;tand for unreserved
ratification and in some quarters the
outcome of the conference between
the president and Senator Hitchcock
was interpreted to mean that Mr..
Wilson would light uncompromis-
lngly against both amendments and
reservations. 1t was inferred by
some senator's in that connection
Mat the president had refused to
countenance the negotiations look
ing to reservations which have been
conducted by some democrats.
The McNary group of republicans
did not accept that view Of the
situation however. pointing out that
Senator Hitchcock had. said after
the conference that the adrn;nistra-
ton would cross the reservation
bridge when it came to it.
Considerable Interest.
Considerable interest was aroused
by statement of Mr.. Hitchcock's,
that the president had laughingly
suggested Senators Lodge and Knox
to negotiate any future treaty with
Germany, should the present one
fail through being\ amended i Re-
tContinued on Page Five, Column Twol