Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-11-25
COMPROM|SE SEEN
on PEACE TREATY
BY SENATOR SMITH
Georgia Senior Senator De-
cIares Belief That Accept
able Reservations VIII Be
/ Passed at Next Session

uOuSu 4OpS 1Or the TdlluCdlIOu VI
the peace treaty and the League of
Nations covenant, Notwithstanding
their failure at the recently ad-
journed session of congress. He en-
tertains the belief that the cove
/, nant can be ratified speedily after the
senate reconvenes in December.
The senator. in a carefully pre-
pared, analytical statement, which
he issued Monday morning, discussed
in detail the treaty fight in the SEN
ate during the last session of con-
gress, and gave reasons to supprot
his contention that the covenant
can be ratified when the senate re-
convenes through mutual concessions
by both sides.
1t is the view Of Senator Smith
that the treaty should have been
ratified at the last session, and that
ratification would have been accom-
plished had conciliatory efforts at
compromise received the encourage
ynent that the Situation really de-
handed.
In his statement Senator Smith
amp1ifies the reservations of chief
lupOIld anu ITOu1 Analysis OIL
the several votes in the senate. as
serts that it is apparent that the
! differences can be composed and an
agreement easily reached. 49,
Tho Senator's Statement
7. Senator Smiths statement follows:
"The treaty of peace with Ger
many ought to have been ratified
before the senate adjourned. hope
and believe it still can be ratified
soon after the senate meets.
There are fifteen Republican SEN
ators and one Democrat who wish
to kill the treaty. There are eighty
one senator's who are willing, and
most of them really DESTROYS, to
have the treaty ratified. Much of the
delay has been due to the efforts of
the fifteen senator's to kill the treaty
and to ill-advised insistence by 9TH
ers that the treaty should be ratified
without reservations.
within thirty days after the
treaty reached the senate it was per-
fectly clear that majority of the
senate was opposed = to ratification
without reservations. I regret that
all the friends Of the treaty did not
then take up the question of reser-
vations for the purpose of agree
ing on them. They concede now their
mistake,
"The seven reservations which 7
introduced October 2 had been pre-
pared after conference with Sena-
tor Hitchcock and other leading
Democrats, and with Senators Nc
Cumber. kellogg and other conserva-
tive Republicans. Reservations about
been agreed upon at the time, but
1t developed that number of Demo-
Gratis has assured the president that
the treaty would be ratified without
reservations. They were unwilling
30 modify their position except with
his approval. But for the sickness
of the president we would have
agreed on reservations several weeks
ago and passed the treaty.
Five Main reservations
1.-THE reservations of chief impor-
lance are on the following subjects
First. The league covenant al
lows any nation to withdraw at the
expiration of two years after notice
of desire to withdraw, provided the
nation has performed it's obligations
under the covenant, but does not say
who is to determine whether the %.
legations have been performed It is
of the utmost Importance to settle
this question now, and we wish y
settle it by declaring that the Unit
ed States alone will be the judge as
to whether its obligations under the
covenant have been performed.
+ Second. The league covenant
/ leaves domestic problems, and espe-
| cia;ly the question of immig ton, in
state of doubt. Under the Ian
/ guage Of the covenant the council
might investigate questions of this
/ character and even force them to ar
] bItration. This can not be permit
ted. We must protect our domestic
questions and immigration from IN
reference by other nations.
THE first important question be-
fore the senate, when I entered the
senate, was the peace treaty with
Great Britain. and, under the lead
ership of Senator Bacon, we put in
a reservation preventing reference to
arbitration of domestic questions and
especially immigration.
unless we guard clearly these
two first proposed reservations, we
leave an uncertainty in the league
! covenant which will be a constant
cause Of wrangle and war.
Third. Under the terms of the
league covenant a mandate, COMPEL
ing the United States to take charge
of and police foreign countries
might be placed upon us by our rep
resentative in the council. 1t is OF
the utmost Importance that a reser.
walton be passed declaring that tbs
United States will accept no such
responsibility unless congress ap-
proves 1t. 49,
Article Ten Reservation .-+
Fourth. The provisions in the
treaty which place an obligation
upon the United States to send oul
boys throughout the world into war
must be so changed that congress
as each particular case arises, may
pass upon it without a prior mora
obligation to furnish our boys fol
sacrifice.
Fifth. Provisions must be made
by which the six votes given Grea
Britain, while the United States has
only one, may not be used to the
injury of the United States.
"Fhere are other reservations in
cluded among those approved by {
! majority of the senate, for which
there is general support that Should
be added to those I have named. O.
these, probably the most importan
is the reservation relieving the Unit
ed States from taking part in th
| international labor organization, un
less congress hereafter so provides
| Senator Hitchcock, on Novembe
Is. presented to the senate reserva
lions covering the five propositions
have mentioned, which differed fror
the reservations known as the Lodg
reservations only in their mode o
expression.
'On Wednesday afternoon, short
L ly before the senate adjourned, Sen
1r..+i.uad On Para a Column Al