The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-08-19
GETTING TOGETHER
TO RATIFY TREATY
Twenty Opponents of Pact Ready
for Conpromise-Plans for
White House Conference.

for Compromise-Plans for
White House Conference.
Washington, Aug. 15.-Negotia-
tions between Democratic and Re-
publican senators looking to ratifi-
cation of the peace treaty with res
ervations reached a more definite
stage today while President Wilson
and the foreign relations committee
were getting together on unprece-
dented measures to give the public
all the details of their discussion of
the treaty next Tuesday at the
White House. Democratic leaders,
feeling out sentiment on che Repub-
l;can side, were told that the treaty
never could be ratified without quail
ifications, but that 20 Republicans
wanted to see it accepted in the near
future with reservations along the
liae of those agreed on by seven SEN
ators of that party some days ago.
This information came from men,
bers of the group of seven ate" COM
pletion of poll begun Wednesday
on receipt of the first Democratic
overtures. The 20 needed by the
Democrats to make the necessary
ratification majority of Cd had not
accepted the proposed reservation
program in exact form, it was assert
ed but had given their assent to it's
general provisions.
Hitchcock Sees President.
Afterward Senator Hitchcock, the
Democratic leader, went to the
White House and is understood to
have laid the whole senate situation
before the president. He made no
formal announcement after the con-
ference but indicated that the admin
istration stand for unreserved rati-
fication remained unchanged. Some
of. the seven reservation Republicans,
however, insists that they had had in
formation assuring Democrtic assent
to their program.
A new draft of reservation was
shown to several Republicans during
tbs day by Senator Lodge, the Re-
publican leader. 1t is understood to
cover the four points embraced IN
the program agreed on by the seven
senators and to include also provis-
ion that appointment of the Ameri-
can representative on the league
council must have senate approval.
The other four provisions relate to
the Monroe doctrine, withdrawal
from membership, jurisdiction over
purely domestic questions and the
right of congress to declare war un-
der Article x of the league covenant.
Plans for the White House confer
ence Tuesday were virtually COM
pleted during the day with an agree
nent that both White House and
committee stenographers should be
present and that a transcript of the
discussions should be issued to the
press. Chairman Lodg ealso gave his
assent to the presence of newspaper
correspondents at the meeting, but
said that was a question for the
president to decide.
Stenographers to Be Present.
The proposal that stenographers
| be present. came from the president
in reply to request that the commit
tee members should not be restrain
ed to secrecy about the discussions.
Mr.. Wilson said he would provide a
stenographer and suggested that the
committee also bring one. Chair
man Lodge said it would be done.
Although it began discussion of
proposed amendments to the treaty
today, the committee decided to vote
on none of them until it had talked
with the president. There will be
no meeting tomorrow and most of
hnext week probably, will be devoted
Ito hearing the five additional wit
nesses summoned yesterday.
The question of how soon the COM
mittee would report to the senate
was one of the subjects most earn
estly discussed in the many confer
ences held among senators during
the day. While the Democratic
leaders said they believed 20 Repub-
licans would exert their influence for
early committee action, it was made
clear by the reservation Republicans
that they had not promised any Re-
publican votes for motion to take
the treaty out of the committees
hands.
After his White House conference