Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-07-24
Former President Offers Plan for Interpretations of COv-
 enant Clauses. URGES ACCEPTANCE
 BY SEN ATE OF PACT Declares Borah, Johnson and Other Opponents Not Representative
 of the Republican Party.
(By The Associated Press)

by The Associated HfeSS) i Washington, July 23.-A plan for interpretations in senate accept ance of the league of nations has been suggested by former President Taft in the hope of uniting on middle ground enough democratic and repub- lican senators to defeat any radical amendment of the covenant and in the end obtain it's ratification.
 70 The subject has been received with l earnest consideration by the group of republicans who favor the league idea and who already are at work on definite program of interpretation reservations which they declare they 1 have reason to believe they will be accepted by the administration
 Some republican senators who have seen the president in the last few days have come away from the white house with the impression that Mir. Wilson, while not encouraging reser- vations if they can be avoided, might not be adverse to such interpreta- tions as would leave the league fabric unimpaired
 The former president suggested to MT. Hays that his name be with held for the present from connect ion with the interpretation plan since it might antagonize some sena- tors of his party Chairman Lodge of the foreign relations committee, who is named in that connection, de- clined today to make any comment on the Taft letter.
 Bcrah Not Representative Rep.
 "The attempt of such men as Sena- tor Borah Senator Johnson, Senator Sherman and others to defeat the treaty. and the deliberate exaggera- tion of the Shantung feature of the treaty." writes MT. Taft, "do not, thing. indicate the attitude of the majority of the republican party in the senate. and l do not think that attention should be paid to the sug-- gestion that the treaty be amended 1 The former president declares that "were I in the senate would not hesitate to vote for Ratification of the treaty as it is."
 Mir. Taft also has written some of the republican senators, who, under the leadership of Senators McCum- Der, North Dakota, and McNary, Ore gon, have been interested in formu- lating middle course for solution of the senate situation. It is under stood that Senators Kellogg, Minne- sota. Colt, Rhode Island and Spencer Missouri, also have been consulted in the interests of such p'an
 President Issues Denial. While the letters were being cir culated among republican senators today. the first public expression on. the Shantung settlement came from statement declaring Altogether false" published renorts that the president had formulated the provis- ion. The statement continued that MT. Wilson had "exerted all the in- fluence he was at liberty to exercise in the circumstances" to secure modi- fication of the arranoement giving control of the peninsula to Japan. The presidents statement was ac- cepted as preclud;ng any likelihood that Mir. Wilson would defend the Shantnng provision except on the ground of the expediency.
 The two Taft letters to Mir. Hays. conies of which were received here today do not outline definitely the six internretations suggested by MT. Taft but thev are referred to as hav- inp been contained in rrevious un- published communication. These six stipulations are understood to be substantially as follows:
 Mir. Taft's Six Points.
 1 1. That moon two years notice. the United States could cease to be ] a mernber of the league without hav- ing the leao,e pass upon whether sha had fulfilled all her obligations under the covenant.
 Two. That self-ooverred colonies and don,ninns could not be reuresen- ted on the league counsel at the same time with the mother government. or \ be included in any of those clauses where the parties to the dispute are excluded from it's settlement.
 Three. That the fnnctioning of 'lthe council under article ten shall be advisory only and that each member shall ba left free to determine ques- lions of war in its own way, the decision of the United States resting with congress. ' ] Four. That differences betWAen .lthe nations regarding immiorationA jthe tariff and other domestic ques- Itions shall not be left to the leegue flor settlement.
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