Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-24
TAFT ATTITUDE MAY
CHANGE SITUATION
IN LEAGUE BATTLE
Some of Senators Believe
Compromise Is Made a
Probability.
BY N. o. MESSENGER.

Former President Taft's outspoken
advocacy of the ratification of the
peace treaty, with reservations on
the covenant of the league of nations,
will, in the opinion of senator's. serve
further to influence President Wilson
to accept compromise propositions to
facilitate ratification.
1t was made plain to the President
two weeks ago. as published in The
yield in his resistance to the inter-
polation of reservations orr Inter
pretations." If he preferred the latter
word, the treaty could be promptly
ratified.
The President has since been re-
peatedly told that without such quail
flying additions the treaty cannot be
ratified. The necessary two-thirds
vote cannot be obtained. His plan of
going to the country and bringing
pressure to bear upon the Senate
would have to be carried out. and
some of his friends are not sure that
it would win, at that
Taft Support Has Been Asset.
Mr.. Taft's support of the President
UP to this time has been one of the
great assets of the administration
senator's. 1t has been deplored by
many republicans. The administra-
ton supporters pointed to Mr.. Taft's
attitude as proof of their charge that
the majority of the republicans were
endeavoring to make party capital
out of the league donations plan,
charge which has been consistently
and persistently denied by the repub-
licans. The democrats brilliantly
pointed out that here was a great re-
publican who sided with the Presi-
dent.
The position of the republicans. so
far as party and politiczf considera-
tfons are concerned has been that
the covenant of the league of ma.
tfons should not be made q party is
sue. This position was taken by
Chairman Hays OF the republican ma
tional committee at the outset. He
has worked day and night to sustain
it. He has maintained that the re-
rublicans should not oppose the
league outright. but should perfect
the covenant and then support it.
In this attitude he has been OPP
posed by two elements in the party.
senator's, who wanted to kill the
whole plan, and on the other side
were Mr.. Taft and his followers, who
at first would have taken the treaty
as it stood. There was middle
coarse. and this Mr.. Hays pursued,
being supported in it by the great
majority of republicans in the Sem
ate-to perfect the covenant and
ratify the treaty. This was1he policy
of Mr.. Root, Mr.. Hughes and other
republicans outside of the Senate.
Opinion as to Outcome.
1t looked today to senators who would
like to see some kind of league of ma
tons put through that Mr.. Taft's switch
in position makes assured the necessity
of the administration accepting the
felt for a fortnight that such an out
come is certain. In that view many
democratic senator's friendly to the ad-
ministration have concurred.
Republican politicians regard with
satisfaction the situation as now pre-
split on the league of nations is obviat-
ed, and at the same time the party Is
not to be put in the position, regarded
as absolutely fatal by many leading
republicans, of opposing the league Of
nations as a whole.
Form of Reservations.
The next step in the proceedings
will be to agree on the form of the
reservations. it was said at the Capt.
toll today. This undoubtedly will take
time and will necessarily cause dis
cussion and be productive of differ
ences of opinion. Weeks of delibera-
ton will be required to iron out the
wrinkles, it was thought.
The big, outstanding facts, as SEN
ators viewed the prospect today, were
that all conditions seem to point to
an agreement on a league of nations
in conformity to what is thought to
be a general demand by the public,
and Reservations" interpretations
or whatever one chooses to call them,
to the presented form of the covenant,
which will satisfy an equally persist
ent demand by a large portion of the
general public for the protection of
rights.