Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-22
TREATY AGREEMENT
PRED|CTEDINSEN
BY 18TH OF JANUARY
Mild Rcservationists All Holding
Conferences; Policies May be
Avoided, is Washington
View
KNOX PLAN TO BE DROPPED
From The New Yord World. today.

| From The New Yord World. today
| Washington, Dec. 21.-Despite the
statement that has been attributed to
Bernard NJ. Baruch that the President
"was absolutely opposed to any plan OF
action except the ratification oi the
treaty as it now stands, the process OF
arranging a compromise is actually under
way and the prophecy If made To-
night that by January Is the ratifica-
| tiop of the treaty will be agreed upon.
Incidentally the Knox resolution III
scheduled for an early death. 1T may
not even be brought up.
The mild reservation group Is tax
ing the lead IN the preparation OF the
compromise proposition senator's
I.enroot, Kellogg. Colt, McNeary, Hale
and others were busy IN informal con
fercnces all day and, while none ot
them will outline the progress, all seem
satisfied that the movement that VIII
result finally in accomplishing the ratiii-
cation of the treaty IS well underway
The Indicated mechanics of the process
is for the mild rescrvationists to agren
To a program and then to call IN the
rank and file of the Democratic group
and ultimately TO gain pledge OF sixty
four Senators to support the result.
WILL AVOID POLITICS.
Not until the adherence of SIXTY
four is obtained will the Senate lead
ers or the President be consulted. The
idea is TO keep away from poitlcs, politics
and resentments, al Of which have
had their part in preventing the ratihca-
ton aud the advent of official peace
The Baruch incident has many pc
culiar angles There Is no qucsaon
but that MIR. Baruch, after getting
al MD rasaryef ftnnlEte
wont with them to the White House.
He talked with the President for nearly
an hour. and returned 10 the Senate and
convened to the mild reservation group
his idea that the President was IN no mood
for compromise
Senator'S Kellogg and Hale declared
todav that Mr.. Baruch did not dis
cuss the President attitude yester-
day during the luncheon. and the treaty
was mentioned only IN very general
terms.
MIR. Baruch said nothing 70 me
whatever about the attitude OF the
President on the treaty, nor quoted
the President in any way, MIR. kei-
logg said f'Hc did not even say yes
terdav that he had talked with the
President about the treaty
Virtually the same statement came
from Mr.. Hale, who declared that
good mart of the conversation at the
dining table related to duck shooting
No mild reservationist would be quoted
as to the details of the Haruch confer
ences, but from their unofficial Ut ter
ances there Is no reason FOR the assump-
ton that the President has changed
hi position. that while ne IS opposed
10 any change in the substance OF the
treaty., he will not object TO changes IN
phraseologv or interpretauve reserva-
tions. Moreover they arc going ahead
with their program and on neither
side OF the Senate Is there much doubt
about the ultimate result.
HITCHCOCK OUTLINES VIEW.
Il have no information that leads
me to suppose that the President viii
oppose any possible compromise, said
Senator Hitchcock tonight His po-
sltion is. rs he has stated, that the
matter Is out-of-hls hands and that
the responsibility Tor proposing basis
for ratification rests with the other fellow,
The Democrats have already voted
for treaty with rcservations-th
reservations | proposed and when these
came before the Democratic conference /
the President had been in possession Of |
them q week. We should have heard
from him If he hadn't been satisfied Ny |
own feeling is that while he will not pro-
pose any compromise, he IS not hostile |
to any reasonable proposition.
The conferences at the Capitol to
day were described as purely infor-
NAL One would be led to think that |
they were casual meetings, from re
ports obtainable, except for the fact, |
learned from various sources, that most |
of the reservationists had seen one |
another during the day. 1t was i'm
possible 10 reach any OF the Senator'S
during the afternoon at their residences
or offices.
Todays meetings were the fore-run-
ners Of others 10 be held during the |
holiday recess. Most of the reservation |
lists will remain in Washington, and will |
lose no time or Opportunity in getting
things in shape for the final ratification |
in January.
MISSIONARY EXPORTS,
For the present, efforts viii be of |