The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1919-08-07
ACTION Of SENATE
HARD TO PREDICT
BOTH SIDES OF THE LEAGUE OF
NATIONS CONTROVERSY SEEM
TO BE DETERMINED.
OPPOSITION IS NOT UNITED
Proponents OF Treaty As u Stands
Count on That Fset-MiIder objte-
tors May Not Accept Ora site Re-
port Of Lodge Faction.
By EDWARD q. CLARK.

BY EDWARD o. CLARK.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., reserva- !
tons. Interpretations - these three |
methods have been suggested by sen
ate opponents Of the League ~ Ma
lions covenant rs furnishing proper |
means Of changing II To their liking. !
Il any one of the methods to prevail?
Naturally enough the proponents ~
the league In the senate. .nnd thos"
outside the senate who are Of the adj
mlnistrations view. hold firmly today
10 the belief they have held from the
first. that no changes will be made Ia
the covenant and that the United
States will sanction Il just as II was
brought from Paris.
on the other hand the opponents of
the league declare positively that they
have fifty-one votes In favor Of certain
changes. With the conflict OF opinion
as II II, II Is Of course next door tn
impossible definitely TO predict the
outcome In the senate, but IL Is pos
sIble to set forth certain existing facts
In the case which men here have to
face. whether they like them or not.
The committee on foreign relations
OF the senate. which now Is discussing
the covenant with a view to making a
report thereon. holds n majority which
Is opposed to the League Of Nations
rs the president presented II. II Is
fact also that the ma jority in opposl-
ton In this committee ~ composed Of
men particularly In favor OF drastic
amendments. n condition which does
not exist so far as the main body OF
the opponents OF the league In the sen
ate itself Is concerned.
Count on Divided Opposition.
In other words. the proportion OF
opponents TO any kind OF league In
the foreign relations committee Is
greater than the proportion of like OPP
ponents In the senate itself. There
arc many senators in opposition who
are on'y partly In opposition, Il condi-
ton which does not hold to the same
extent among the opposing members in
the foreign relations committee.
The proponents Of the treaty in the
senate are depending for the final
ssnctionIng Of the document just as II
stands on the undoubted fact that the
opposition is divided as To what kind
OF changes should be made in the doc
ument. The proponents of the league
feel that where opposition Is divided
as to ways and means II may tire IT.
self out in the efforts OF each faction
10 have It's way and that eventually
acquiescence In the whole covenant
will come
On the other hand the opponents
OF the treaty. whether they are Of the
strong school or the mild school. are
firm In their statements that eventu-
ally they will get together and propose
certain changes which all of the mem
bers Of the opposition can agree to. and
that with harmony the amendments.
reservations or interpretations, what
ever they are. will be adopted by
small hut certain majority.
Opponents II the treaty today are
wondering II the president, in case he
should find that the opposition sue
| ffflN III ilN
culties and In fixing upon a program
Of mild changes. Will accept these
| changes rather than withhold the
treaty. keeping II In the state depart
ment. AS he has right to do, for
| further reference and use.
No Amendments, Says President
The answer to this questioning mood
OF the opponents Of the treaty as II
comes from close friends Of the admin
istration Is that Mr.. Wilson believes
that an amended covenant. that Is the
covenant amended as the opposition
has suggested Is almost as bad as no
covenant at all, so far as the partlclpa-
ton Of the United States is concerned,
and that II must be a case OF the cove
nant as II is. or that he will not give
adverse action administrative sane
ton.
The leader Of the opposition TO the
league, who also happens to be the
Republican leader OF the senate, Is
having his difficulties today. and there
is no Republican TO deny II. His chief
difficulty lies In the fact that whilst he
seems 20 be convinced that he has
majority back Of him In opposition TO
the covenant. this majority Is divided
into schools Of thought. II will take
canny. leadership 10 bring all Of the
conflicting schools together.
Another trouble which confronts
Senator Lodge is the fact that the
majority Of the foreign relations com
mittee, with himself as its chairman
and leader probably will formulate
report which will be too drastic for
the acceptance OF the milder opponents
Of the league on the floor Of the sen
ate, Democrats as well ~ Republicans
for there are two or three Democrats
who are opposed to the league just as
there are some Republicans who are
In favor Of II.
Old time senators and the elder gen.
Grafton OF Washington correspondents
say today that never before so far as
they can remember has there been
such uncertainty as TO the outcome Of
any great issue which has been before
the senate.