Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-11-07
LONG SENATE.
PEACE FIGHT
NEAR CLIMAX
Solons Hate to Face Inevi-
table Compromise Need
{ ed for a Decision.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.


lue COuuIIy lOI u uudl VOtc LILLE
month but every effort to bring
about an agreement to set a date
for q vote has failed because as q
matter Of fact the spirit Of COM
promise has not yet been recog-
nized as absolutely necessary by
the extremists, who think they can
yet defeat the whole treaty. Brief
ly, the Republican management Of
fered to set q date ON which the
treaty could be finally disposed
Of" BY that they meant final ac-
ton on the ratifying resolution
which contains the reservations
by the senate foreign re-
lations committee. The Democrats
objected to the use of the word
''Analy because. they believed It
would prevent them from offering
another ratifyins resolution II they
constituted Themselves into the
one-third tp defeat the
senate foreign relation committse's
WIN Pass H1ck.
So the procedure Is going to be
something like this: The Repub-
licans will press for I vote ON res
which will command a
and thus become part OF
the ratifying resolution. Then the
vote ON that resolution which re-
quires two-thirds will be defeated
because the Democrats consider
many Of the reservations : to be
to amendments and az
requiring resubmission Of the
treaty to foreign governments and
necessitating prolonged negotia-
tion. The Republicans would nat
urally GEEK to attach the blame for
the defeat Of the treaty then on the
Democrats but the latter are ready
to explain to the country that the
ratifying resolution with the ex-
treme reservations in it was tanta-
mount to a destruction of the
treaty and they felt it incumbent
on themselves to refuse to approve
such q resolution In order that the
senate might vote on another kind
of resolution in which reservations
not so extreme would be inserted.
Does One Vote End Itf
The big question is this: When
the first ratifying resolution fails
to get q two-thirds vote because OF
the actor. Of at least 80 members
Of. the senate who are Democrats,
Is the treaty finally disposed or
as the phrase Is used in the pro-
posal of Senator Lodge to end de-
bate? Is the senate able to bring
MP another ratifying resolution
containing less drastic reserva-
tions. or must the president notify
the other nations OF the world that
Amerca has not ratified the treaty
and that a separate peace with
Germany must be negotiated?
Situation Bewildering.
The Democrats would promptly
ask Vice President Marshall for a
ruling. He would unquestionably
rule that the treaty is before the
senate for further action but an
appeal from his decision could be
taken to the senate as a whole and
it would require only a majority
vote to overthrow his ruling and
kill the treaty. The Republicans
could muster such a vote but 1t il
quite another question whether
they would thus wish to take re-
sponsibility not merely for kill
ing the treaty but preventing the
senate from having another oppor-
tunity to vote on q compromise
proposal. Probably IL the senate
should sustain the vice president
and rule that the senate can still
.act on other ratifying resolutions,
the Democrats would try to secure
q record vote on . resolution which
embodies no reservations whats0-
ever. This would not get the nee
essary two-thirds a. at least 50
Republicans are adamant In their
intention to refuse to ratify the
treaty without reservations to- pro-
text America on most points 20 az
to avoid misunderstandings In the
future concerning Americas obi
cations.
Only Conprsmise Can Win,
Many Democrats, recognize that
position ON the part Of their po-
litical opponents ~ valid and are
ready, therefore, to enter into an
agreement on. . set Of reservations
which are mutually acceptable. II.
after disposing Of the arst two rati-
Tying resolutions-the one offered
by Senator LSdge embodying the
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