The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-16
Lodge Asserts China Was
Robbed to Save League
of Nations Plan.
DEBATE GETS BITTER
Williams Admits Frankly
President Was Forced
to Accede.
INvOKES PERIL OF WAR
"We Have Cringed Long
Enough" Says Borah, Who
Doesn't Fear Results.
Special Dcspatch to The srs.

SpecidI Dcspdtch to THE Sus.
WASHINGTON, July 15.-The real
fight in the Senate against the Wilson
League of Nations began to-day. With
the President here. finally having laid
the peace pact and the league cove
nant officially before the Senate and
with the prospect Of daily sessions OF
the Senate and Of the Foreign Rela-
tions Committee, two Issues in the
fight were narrowed down to-day to
something like definite form-the
Shantung provision Of the treaty and
demand for full light on every move,
secret or otherwise, made in Paris in
the last seven months.
Senator Norris (Neb.) started
long and bitter debate over Shantung
in set speech in which he deeply
resented the effort to force American
approval of this outrage against
China, the friend and ally of the
United States. This was merely
the beginning, however, Senators
Hitchcock fNeb.) and Williams
Miss defending the provision, while
Senator'S Lodge (Mass.) Fall IN. NJ,
Moses IN. H. Mccormick (Ill.) and
Borah Idaho) ripped this defence
to pieces in short order.
In the midst of this Senator Under
wood (Ala.) delivered set speech
defending the League of Nations plan
In general terms.
Moses Cites Precedent.
Before the Senate convened to-day
the Foreign Relations Committee
| adopted the Johnson resolution calling
on the President to furnish the com:
mittee with full facts of every step
| taken by the Peace Conference at
Paris. Democratic members fought
this resolution until Senator Moses
pointed out to them that this courtesy
had been extended to the French Par.
lament already. Consequently the
| committees request went to the
I White House by messenger this after
noon.
Prior to the Norris speech, which
caused the Shantung explosion, the
| Senate without record vote adopted
! the Lodge resolution calling on the
State Department for every fact In it'd
| possession pertaining to the alleged
secret treaty between Germany and
| Japan.
Meanwhile the intimation came
from the White House that the Presi-
! dent intended to make full ex.
planation of the Shantung situation to
directly or through communication
/ TO the Senate.
The President, It Is understood, ID
deslrous of furnishing n complete un-
derstandlng Of the action of the Paris
conference and the position of the
American delegation on this subject.
Though no official word was given
out, it is understood the President
went over various phases of his work
in Paris for the benefit Of his ad-
viSers at the Cabinet meeting to-day
and touched on some of the seeming
contradictions in the position taken
! by the American delegates.
On the question OF the Shantung
| decision there is now some ground
for belief that the President Is not
in complete sympathy with the Japa.
neSe stand and that he fully appre-
ciates the agitation being caused by
the refusal of the japanese Govern!
ment to make its position clear. Ie
was strongly int!mated by the Presi.
dents friends that he believes Japan
should take advantage of the present
to make cleancut declaration q
intention to return the Shantun1
peninsula in definite Period.
Whether the indicated statement
from the President will wait upon
ia possible move by Japan and
whether 1t will take the form of an
address or statement 10 the Senate or
to the people is matter OF specul
lation. So far MS can be learned nd
decision has been reached IN this
regard.
The possibility that relations be.
tween the United States and Japan
would suffer severe, even q danger
Gus, strain, as result of the asper1
sIons Oh japanese honor Incident Il