The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-17
REPUBLICANS PLAN
COVENANT QUERIES
Leaders Getting Ready for
Conference at White
House Tuesday.
HOPE TO OBTAIN FACTS
Effort Will Be Made to Learn
Probable Attitude Of
!. Neutrals.
snecinl Ds,pntch TO Tar SUI.

obcCtdt Dcbpnich 10 oS'''
WASHINGTON. Aug ie.-With the
i Democratic plan to center its FIRE On pre-
venting amendments to the peace treaty
4 known and pending the conference OF
4 the Senate through the Foreign. Reia-
+ fIons Committee with the President, on
4 Tuesday both sides in the treaty and
league fight rested on their arms to-day
However, Republican Senators were
busy preparing the line of queNions
4 which will be asked at the White
4 House. While realizing that the dignity
T OF Mr.. Wilson's Office precludes the sort
+ Of cross examination which another WIZ
4 nesc might be subjected to, good many
4 OF the Republican members Of the For
4 eirr Relations Committee intend to make
a determined effort to get some real IN
formation.
b These Senators take the attitude that
n the conference with the President is not
+ 10 be a tea party, but that the committee
q roes 70 the White House as the agent
4 oe the Senate, which must pass on tne
4 treaty, and that it is the duty OF the
+ committee to obtain every scrap OF IN
4 formation possible before presenting the
+ treaty and the league covenant to the
A senate with any sort of Recommendation.
May Accept Def.
a One development among the Republi-
cans to-day was marked disposition 70
take at its face value the remark MADE
f by the President to Senator Hitchcock
4 (Nebl, that he would name Senator
4 Lodge (Mass.) or Senator Knox (Pa)'
4 or both, to negotiate treaty with Ter
many IL this one is amended
II the President was serious in TINS
& statement the Republicans are confident
a much better treaty than the present
one would result from the efforts OF
\ these two Senator'S.
Senator Fall IN. NJ has not yet de-
cided whether he will attend the White
n House conference. He thinks the con-
Il ference may prove farce, because the
. President In his dealings with the Senate
thus far has confined himself altogether
. with generalities, forsaking details al
4 sogether, and Mr.. Fall believes there Is
" little reason to hope for anything else
. this time.
The conference. though, will mark the
beginning of a. new phase in the treaty
night. Failing to stir Republican Sena-
tors from their convictions through q
+ series of private conferences with them,
4 Il 10 generally believed now that II the
. President fails to make a good case on
Tuesday he will practically seal the
1 doom of the League of Nations so far
i would lose more ground in his effort to
I prevent amendments.
To Ask About NeutraIs.
One line OF questions. that is certain
Il to be addressed to the President will re-
4 late to the attitude of the European neu-
trail nations toward the League of Ma
a lions Are Norway, Sweden, Renma, X,
n Holland and Switzerland willing to en-
= ter the league before Germany does?
What does the Paris congress, what
does the American Department or the
n President know on this point? Those
Il States not only have strong pro-German
4 elements in their governments and pop
II Nations, but they have peculiar reasons
\ for not wishing to ally themselves with
mere anu-German League OF States.
II they do not enter at once, 1t was
. pointed out by a Senator to-day, there
IL every prospect that as Germany be-
gins to regain strength and influence
they will be less disposed to do 50 and
f thus the Continent of Europe would
tend to revert to the old balance of
power situation. Their attitude. in short
Is regarded as Of prime significance at
this time.
Again there is a line OF inquiry to
4 which little attention has yet been pub
4 ficly directed, but which privately SEN
4 immigration and to finance. Europe
will be an aggregation of debtor States
& all Of them owing heavily to America
Plans for reduction OF their debts by
processes variously described as levy
Of wealth" and tax on capital" and
4 from that all the way down to plain
Reputation, are under consideration in
many OF them. There mas been much
discussion of a possible arrangement
! through the League of Nations for com
mon action in this direction
In an effort for such united action the
European interest, 1t is pointed out
would be that of the debtors, while
Americas would be that of the creditor
Through the League of Nations. In which
Il the one great creditor State would bt
4 In hopeless minority, measures NIGH
Il be initiated that would leave the Unitec
States bound in advance to acquiesce
though It might prove the chief sufferer
by them.