The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1919-08-01
TAFT ATTEMPTS
TO SPEED PEACE
PROPOSES COMPROMISE eAsio
WHEREBY SENATORS CAN
AGREE ON TREATY
IDEA MEETS WITH FAVOR
Republicans Confident Of Success for
Their Plan and Believe President
viii Not Oppose Their inter-
pretations Of Document

| pretations Of Document
Washington, July PA plan for
interpretations In senate acceptance
of the league Of nations has been
suggested by former President Taft in
the hope Of uniting on a middle ground
enough Democratic and Republican
senators to defeat any radical amend
ment OF the covenant and In the end
obtain it's ratification.
| The suggestion has been received
with earnest consideration by the
group Of Republicans who favor the
league idea and who already are at
work on a definite program of inter-
pretative reservations which they de-
clare they have reason to believe will
be accepted by the administration. The
administration leaders, however, I'M
willing to cOncede that any reserva-
tons will be necessary, still insist they
will have the votes when the time
comes to ratify the covenant as it is.
Expect President to Accept.
So confident are the league Repub-
leans of the success Of their plan that
some of them believe President VIII
son will publicly accept it to smooth
the way Of acceptance Of the league.
Some Republican senator's who have
seen the president in the last few
days have come away from the White
House with the impression that Mr..
Wilson might not be averse to such
interpretations as would leave the
league fabric unimpaired. They say,
however, that this impression is not
based on any direct statement by the
president.
Creates Sensation.
Mr. Taft's suggestion, which created
a sensation in the senate because Of
his well known advocacy of unreserved
ratification. was embodied in two let
tiers to VIII II. Hays, the Republican
national chairman, copies of which
reached some Republican senators
yesterday. They touched upon many
features of the treaty controversy, and
emphasized the former presidents be-
lief that only by acceptance Of some
reservations could the treaty be rati-
fled.
Six Interpretations.
Six specific Interpretation proposals
are outlined which Mr.. Taft says he
Is convinced will meet the objections
Of large group Of Republicans who
favor the league. He counts As Demo-
cratic senators as supporting the
president in the treaty fight and says
that had three Republicans been COM
mitted to vote against material amend
ments. no such proposals could re-
ceive a senate majority.
Suggests Suppression.
The former president suggested to
Mr.. Hays that his name be withheld
for the present In connection with
the Interpretation plan since 1t might
antagonize some senator's of his party.
Chairman Lodge of the foreign rela-
tons committee. who he named in that
ment on the Taft letter.
Mr.. Taft also has written some of
the Republican senators, who under
the leadership of Senators McCumber
North Dakota, and McNary, Oregon,
have been interested in formulating
a middle course for solution of the
senate situation. 1t is understood that
Senators Kellogg, Minnesota: Colt,
Rhode Island, and Spencer. Missouri,
also have been consulted i'm the inter-
ests of such plan.
In one of his letters to Mr.. Hays, Mr..
Taft severely criticised President Will
son for his partisan" course during
the war and in the peace negotiations,
and i'm the other gave the impression
that no serious opposition is to be
feared to any portion of the peace
treaty except the league covenant The
Shantung provision, he wrote. had been
the subject OF deliberate exagger-
ation."
While the letters We're being circu-
lated among Republican senator's YES
terday the first public expression on
the Shantung settlement came from
the White House in statement de-
claring altogether false" published
reports that the president had formu-
lated the provision. The statement
continued that Mr.. Wilson had "ex-
erted all the influence he was Mt lib-
erty TO exercise In the circumstances"
to secure modification of the arrange
ment giving control of the peninsula
to Japan.