The review., 1919-08-14
BOTH SIDES OF THE LEAGUE OF
NATIONS CONTROVERSY SEEM
TO BE DETERMINED.
OPPOSITION IS NOT UNITED
Proponents of Treaty AS 1t Stands
Count on That Fact-MiIder Objec-
tors May Not Accept Drastic Re-
port of Lodge Faction.
BY EDWARD B. CLARK.

methods have been suggested by SEN
ate opponents of the League of Ma
tons covenant as furnishing proper
means of changing it to their liking.
Is any one of the methods to prevail?
Naturally enough the proponents of
the league in the senate, and those
outside the senate who are of the ad
ministratiOn's view, hold firmly today
to the belief they have held from the
first that no changes will be made in
the covenant and that the United
States will sanction it just as it was
brought from Paris.
On the other hand, the opponents of
the league declare positively that they
have fifty-one votes in favor of certain
changes. With the conflict of opinion
as it is, it is of course next door to
impossible definitely to predict the
outcome in the senate, but it is pos
sible to set forth certain existing facts
in the case which men here have to
face, whether they like them or not.
The committee on foreign relations
Of the senate, which now is discussing
the covenant with a view to- making a
report thereon, holds a majority which
is opposed to the League of Nations
rs the president presented it. 1t is d
fact also that the majority in opposi-
tiOf. in this committee is composed of
men particularly in favor of drastic
amendments, q condition which does
not exist so far as the main body of
the opponents of the league in the SEN
ate itself is concerned.
Count on Divided Opposition.
In other words, the proportion of
opponents to any kind of a league in
the foreign relations committee is
greater than the proportion of like Op-
pOnents in the senate itself. There
are many senators in opposition who
are only partly in opposition, a condi-
tiOn which does not hold to the same
extent among the opposing members in
the foreign relations committee.
The proponents of the treaty in the
senate are depending for the final
sanctioning of the document just as it
stands on the undoubted fact that the
opposition is divided as to what kind
Of changes should be made in the doc
ument. The proponents Of the league
feel that where opposition is divide'1
as to ways and means it may tire it.
self out in the efforts of each faction
to have it's way and that eventually
acquiescence in the whole covenant
will come.
On the other hand the opponents
of the treaty, whether they are of the
strong school or the mild school, are
firm in their statements that eveRtu-
ally they will get together and propose
certain changes which all of the mem
bers of the opposition can agree to, and
that with harmony the amendments.
reservations or interpretations. what
ever they are, will be adopted by a
small but certain majority.
Opponents IF the treaty today arc
wondering if the president, in case he
should find that the opposition sac
ceeds in harmonizing its internal diff
culties and in fixing upon a program
of mild changes, will accept these
changes rather than withhold the
treaty, keeping it in the state depart
ment, as he has a right to do, for
further reference and use.
No Amendments, Says President.
The answer to this questioning mood
of the opponents of the treaty as it
comes from close friends Of the admin
istration is that Mr.. Wilson believes
that an amended covenant, that is the
covenant amended as the opposition
has suggested, is almost as bad as no
covenant at all, SO far as the pa~ticipa
ton of the United States is concerned,
and that it must be case of the cove
nant as it is, or that he will not give
adverse action administrative sane
ton.
The leader of the opposition to the
league, who also happens to be the
Republican leader of the senate, is
having his difficulties today, and there
is no Republican to deny it. His chief
difficulty lies in the fact that whilst he
seems to be convinced that he has a
ma iority back of him in opposition to
the covenant, this majority is divided
into schools Of thought. 1t will take
canny leadership to bring all of the
conflicting schools together.
Another trouble which confronts
Senator LOUSe Is lII0 IdCI that Iuo
ajority of the foreign relations COM
mittee, with himself as its chairman
and leader, probably will formulate a
report which will be too drastic for
the acceptance of the milder opponents
of the league on the floor Of the sen
ate, Democrats as we'll as Republicans
for there are two or three Democrats
who are opposed to the league just as
there are some Republicans who are
in favor of it.
Old time senators and the elder gen.
GRAFTON of Washington correspondents
say today that never before SO far as
they can remember has there beer
such uncertainty as to the outcome o:
any great issue which has been befOrt
the senate.