The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-11-13
FR|ENDS OF TREATY
 PLAN ID END TALK AND SECURE ACTION |ON PART OF SENATE
Petitions to Invoke Cloture Rule to Prevent Dilatory Tactics of Irreconcila-
 bles Should Such Ac-
 ton Be Necessary
By Associated Press

Washington, November 12.
 Summary action to choke down
 Rebate on the peace treaty was
 lecided on by the treaty's
 Friends in the Senate today to
 sneet developments regarded
 by many senators as the begin
 ping of a flibuster against rati-
 ication.
 Two petitions to invoke the Senate s
 loture rule, which never heretofore has been used, were prepared for submission
 Tomorrow should it become apparent that
 datory tactics have been adopted by
 he group irreconciliably opposed to the
 reaty. The first proposal was drawn Ipy the democrats gand the other was being formulated tonight by the mid
 Reservation group of republicans.
 Under the rule which could be made Effective beginning Saturday by a two
 thirds vote, no senator could speak more fan one hour in all until a vote on ratification had been reached. No spe- I,fic times could be set under the pro- |gision for such a vote. but the leaders
 predicted that it would force final ac-
 fion, if resorted to. early next week. To further hasten the treaty. it was Tentatively agreed to hold night sessions | pf the Senate beginning tomorrow night and continuing until there has been a Ratification vote.
 REED CONSUMES SESSION The movement for cloture was started |after Senator Reed, democrat, Missouri, had launched into another long speech |lttacking the treaty and Senators La Toilette. Wisconsin, and France, Mary |land, republicans, had indicated they |were ready to continue the fight as soon las the Missouri senator concluded. Sem |ator Reed occupied all of today's three- hour session and intimated at adjourn |ment that he would continue for several Ihours tomorrow.
 sSuspecting that the anticipated (finbuster was on, Senator Hitchcock of |Nebraska, the acting democratic leader, |snd Senator Underwood, democrat. Ala |bama. circulated on the democratic side "a petition for cloture. It soon had more |than twice the sixteen signatures needed Ito secure on invocation of the rule. The republicans acted more the slowly |the mild reservation group being fearful |of alternating the irreconciliables on |whose votes they are counting for safe majority to put over the reservation programme of the foreign relations com |mittee Late in the day, however, Sen-
 
 reservation republicans, passed around Ia petition and got the requisite number |of signers.
 Although protesting to bel anxious for |the debate to end, and predicting that |the necessary two-thirds could be mus |tered for cloture, Republican Leader Lodge said he desired to take no part in the move.
 PLANS ARE ABANDONED
 Plans of the democrats to present their petition today were abandoned when 1t was decided to adjourn early because of the death of Senator Martin of Virginia. Whether they would do so tomorrow was not clear, some of the leaders indicating that it might depend on the course of de- during the days debate on the republican side, it is said the peti- tjon of the mild reseryationists would be put in only if action were unduly delayed.
 Under the cloture rule, a vote on limit ing debate cannot be taken until two days after submission of a petition, so that the limitation could not be made effective until Saturday.
 There was some speculation as to the possible effect of Senator Martins death an the treaty fight, but the general opin- ion was that it would not affect It con The Virginia senator has been a hsent most of the session and had taken no active part in the controversy, Shouid a democrat hostile to the treaty De ap- rointed to succeed him, the administra- tion senators say the only result would be to decrease by one their minority against reservations.