Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-07-24
SENATORS IN MIDDLE GROUND
ON RATIFICATION Of PACT
Believed President Knew OF
Letters to Senators From
Taft
5y Associated Press.

WASHINGTON. July 24:-Former
President Taft, who has written to-
several Republican senators and
leaders suggesting reservations to the
peace treaty which might be accepts
able to both sides, has opened cor4
respondence on the subject with
prominent Democratic senator's Sem
ator Hitchcock, of Nebraska, one of
the leading spokesmen for the adj
ministrstion in the senate fight, re-
ceived o. letter today from Mr.. Taft.
The former Presidents communica>
ton to the Nebraska senator was ur~
derstood to be of the same general
tenor as those sent to the Republicans
suggestions for agreement upoHl
treaty reservations or interpretations
to facilitate ratification.
Senator Hitchcock and other ads
ministration senators declared todaysl
however, that for the present at least
they would continue their efforts for
ratification without reservation h
Conceding that strength might de<
velop to compel acceptance Of rftt~i
fication resolution with qualifying
clauses, the administration would ops
pose any qualifying clauses which,
would require renegotiation of tho
treaty.
Bt Assocfated Press.
WASHINGTON July 24--Encour~-
aged by the suggestion of formerl
President Taft for certain interpreta5l
tions in the senate acceptance Of thas
peace treaty, Republican senators
working out program of interpretive
reservations increased their activity
today to bring together administers
ton leaders and Republicans favor-
ing the league idea so that the
League of Nations may be accepted
without vital modification,
Although Senators McNary, Mos,
Cumber and others conditionally fav7l
oring the league express condolences
that in the end most of the Demos
Gratis and many Republicans would
unite on a middle ground, the Demos
cratic leaders remained unchanged
In their attitude favoring unreserved
ratification.
THE senate had in store another
day of debate on the treaty and tho
foreign relations committee cQntln-
ued its reading of the long document.
but the major interest centered IN
the informal discussion among sena-
tors about reservations and Mrs
Taft's suggestions along that line.
These suggestions, the first to come
from the former president In support
of reservations. became generally
known yesterday through receipt Of
letters written by Mr.. Taft to Will IA.
Hays, the Republican national chair-
man. 1t was learned, however, that
he also had written Senators Nc
Nary, McCumber and others who
favored the league idea and 1t was
understood the work Of framing q
definite reservation program along
the lines suggested was well under
way.
President Wilson had no engage
ments today with Republican sena-
tors for discussion of the treaty and
the league covenant. Senators visit
ing the White House yesterday were
the last of the list of fifteen selected
by the President but 1t was said that
invitations to other senators would go
forward as Mr.. Wilson desired to con-
fer with as many of them as possible
before starting on his speaking tour.
President Wilson's advisors said to~
day the President had known for sew.
eral days of the existance OF the lets
ters of former President Taft sugges-
ting reservations on the peace treaty.
Some of the senators with whom Mr.
Wilson has conferred recently have
been in communication with Mr. Taft
on the subject of reservations and IL
was assumed that the former presi-
dents suggestions were discussed at
some of the White House conferences
Inouiring why the treaty with
France proposing that the United
States aid that country In event OF an
unprovoked attack by Germany has
not been submitted to the senate,
Senator Brandegee, Republican, Con-
necticut, read into the records TO-DAY
a MAGAZINE article quoting the text
of the document as requiring that 1t
be submitted for ratification ''at the
same time" as the treaty with Ger
many.