Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-07-17
RECOGNITION Of
REPUBLICANS IS
FINAL MOVE To
WIN LEAGUE VOTES
What Republicans Have Been
Asked to Meet Chief ExeCu-
tive Is Matter of Great
Speculation,
DEMOCRATIC FRIENDS
CONFIDENT OF SUCCESS
Explanations of Covenant and
of Shantung Treaty ProViS-
ion Are to Be Main Line of
Conversation,


Washington, July 16.-In an ag-
gressive effort to diminish senate op-
position to the treaty with Germany,
President Wilson will begin at the
White House tomorrow a series Of
personal talks with republican sena-
tors.
With his reiterated offer to consult
with the foreign relations committee
unaccepted and with his opponents on
the republican side evidencing no
purpose to seek his counsel, the presi-
dent decided today to adopt the more
direct method of inviting republican
members to the White House and lay
ing before them one after another his
reasons for asking that the treaty pc
ratified.
A half dozen senators whose names
were withheld were asked to meet
the president tomorrow and it was
indicated that the invitations would
be a daily feature until Mr.. Wilson
had seen most of the republican mem
bership of the treaty -ratifying body
During the day he selected fifteen
whom he desires to see this week.
Speculation as 30 Choices
There was much speculation as to
choices he had made for tomorrow's
conference. In some quarters 1T was
thought likely he had invited Chair
man Lodge and other members of
the foreign relations committee, but
it also was suggested that he may
have chosen to talk first with sena-
tors who are inclined to be friendly
to the treaty and have taken no defi-
mite stand regarding it.
Republican leaders opposing the
treaty in its present form did not hes
itate to predict the White House talks
would fail to lessen the opposition to
unreserved ratifications. Democratic
senators supporting the president,
however, declared his course un-
doubtedly meant that he had con-
Vincing arguments to offer.
Those in the presidents confidence
indicated the burden of his appeal to
the republican senator's would con-
Cern the league of nations and the
Shantung settlement, the two pro-
visions which have aroused greatest
criticism in the senate. 1t was pre-
dicted that he would tell his callers
the complete details of the negotia-
tons on these points and on any
others that might be brought into
question.
Call for Information,
That it might be in a better sit
uation to consider the Shantung pro-
vision, the foreign relations commit.
tee agreed today to ask the state de-
partment for copies of all available
treaties bearing on Japanese and
German interests in China. In it's
preliminary reading of the Versailles
treaty, however, the committee pass
ed over entirely that part of the
treaty affecting Shantung and other
former possessions of Germany, re-
serving the whole subject for future
discussion.
Shantung will be the subject of
more discussion tomorrow in the sem
ate.
In its reading today the committee
made slow progress and it was pre-
dicted that with daily meetings the
whole text will not be covered the
first time before the end of the week.
Still to be read are the financial, eco
nomic and labor sections, regarded
by committee members as the most
intricate of all.
During the day President Wilson
saw two democratic members of the
committee, Senators Swanson of Vir-
ginia and Pomerene of Chic, and
talked over the senate situation with
them. 1t was understood he reiterat-
ed his opposition to any reservations
in ratification of the treaty.