The sun., 1919-07-20
SENATORS INSISTENT
ON CHANGING PACT


disappointment of the Senate because of
the Presidents failure to make a proper
defence of the disputed points when he
addressed the Senate last week the con-
hdence of the Presidents opponents has
mounted steadily, while hopes of the
Administration have steadily declined.
The second material blow to league
proponents was the fiat failure Of the
widely advertised open house" proceed
ings at tho White House few days ago
The expectation then was that pro-
league and ,anti-league Senator's would
drop In casually TO hear the President
expound his league theory. explain Shan
| tung-if possible-and clear up the thou
sand and one doubts regarding the treaty
and the league held by hearty all of the
Senators. Three of them attended, all
to discuss matters Immediately affecting
their home States.
League Sentiment at Low Mark.
Failing in this. the President resorted
to conferences with those Republican
senators who were looked on as q little
| wabbly in their attitudes. When even
| these Senators told the President with
out mincing words that the Peace Treaty
and the league scheme were more than
| likely to fail unless material reserva-
| tons were made sentiment for the
1 n.
| 1t remains for the present. Even the
enthusiastic supporters OF the President
| admitted this tonight, and some of them
are talking of urging upon the President
| the abandonment of his trip around the
| country. They believe, and some of
| them want to try TO convince the Presi-
dent that 1t is of more Importance to,his
plans for him to stay in Washington anu
try to hold his Senate supporters in line
l Crns NhA 4. G..I
him." as he told Europe 1t already was.
| on top OF the knowledge that a more
than sufficient number of Senators have
| virtually burned their bridges behind
them and laid down the lines Of, the
fight 80 that the treaty must be altered
or rejected. 1t is regarded as not at all
unlikely that the President will let talk
| OF his trip die out and remain in Wash
ington.
| However. II the President wants to
4 make domestic tour he may do so
with the assurance that the Senate will
not try to conclude its action on the
treaty during his absence. Members OF
the Foreign Relations Committee said 1t
| would be impossible to get the treaty
out of committee for practically a
month, largely because of the almost
| complete ignorance of its terms on ne
| part OF some OF the Democratic Sena-
1
the whole voluminous document very
| slowly in order to correct this situation.
In addition some very important maps
| must be studied by the committee to
understand the many new boundaries
fixed by the pact These maps must
come from Paris, and cannot be mailed
| Immediately. They are expected about
| August /.
When the treaty comes out OF the
committee the real fight will begin. IT
will take good many weeks before it is
settled and the President need have no
fear of hasty alteration and ratif,ca ton
of the treaty during his proposed junket
Shifting Away From the League.
In conjunction with the very visible
change of sentiment in Washington and
| the shifting of confidence from the pro-
| league to the anti-league group a num-
Der OF Senators have been receiving let
tiers lately indicating a change OF opin-
ion about the league in a most unex-
pected quarter. Many of these letters
have come from prominent men. once
public advocates of the Wilson scheme,
| who frankly state they have changed
their views completely A number OF
these letters will be made public as soon
| as the consent OF their authors can be
| obtained.
One Western Senator who has advo-
Gated the league heard from his secrc-
tary when he visited his state that the
drift of opinion was tremendous. The