Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-10-21
SENATOR SMITHS
Reservations MAY
AID IN COMPROMISE
BIZ THEODORE T1LLER

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1S-With the
admission in administration circles
that reservations to the peace treaty
are likely to be made, there were
Indications today that the reserva
tions offered more than two weeks
ago by Senator Hoke Smith may
yet be used as a basis of compromise
between senate Democrats and mild
side.
strongly intimated today that 'reser-
Iations and Interpretation to the
peace treaty are to be expected
There were similar tacit admissions
among Democratic leaders at the
capitol. If these reservations are
not too drastic, and the Smith reser
vations are not generally so regard
ed, there is a prospect they will be
accepted by the president.
Both Georgia senators will vote
against the Johnson amendment as
they have voted against all textual
changes in the treaty.
The real question now before the
vations. Even Senator Hitchcock
ranking Democrat of the foreign re-
Iations committee, now comedies that
there will be reservations or the
treaty will not get the required two
thirds majority.
1t is known that the reservations
recently offered by Senator Hoke
Smith were put in after he had con
ferred at length with Senators Hitch
cock and Swanson, two other Demo
cratic leaders. They. were upon the
line of reservations that the Demo
Gratis would stand for if t became
apparent that reservations were in
eVitable.
1t is now apparent that although
the Democrats and less partisan Re-
publicans have defeated numerous
to the treaty, there will
be reservations and interpretations
of that document. The problem is
to get together a set of compromise
upon which the Demo-
Gratis and mild Republican reserva-
tionists can agree, thereby prevent
ing adoption of such radical changes
as are demanded by the Johnson
group.
1t is now hoped that the Demo-
Gratis may bring to their support
sufficient number of conservative
to put the milder res
ervations through the senate. That
Republicans, as well as
have been studying the
Smith reservations is certain. 1t is
also significant that while Senators
and Swanson were in the
background when Senator Smith Of
tered his reservations, his act fol-
lowed conferences not only with
these two, but also with other ad-
supporters.
1t may be said with assurance
that even Senator Hitchcock now re-
grets that there was not earlier
Democratic espousal of such reserva-
tions as Senator Smith offered. A
might have been more
easily affected two or three weeks
ago. than today. The Democrats have
won their fight for unamended peace
treaty proper, but the drift has been
steadily toward reservations which
will interpret Americas obligations
and rights under the treaty and the
League of Nations covenant.
Senator Smith will continue his
with Democrats and less
extreme Republicans and out Of the
tangled situation compromise salts
factory to the administration may yet
come. The desire is to prevent harsh
that will jar the SEN
sibilities Of other nations. II the
radical Republicans have their way
and these are now known in the
senate as the 'bitter enders"-the
treaty may be so sharply reserved
that the administration might be
compelled to withdraw it, or the
consent Of other nations to our IN
terpretations might prove unobtain-