Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-15

looking for n compromise that would
lead to ratification of the treaty.
The whole fabric of division--irrecon-
cilablcs middle grounders, and all--seerns
in the retrospect to be artificial, and the
course of events suggests that actually
there was on the Republican side an
almost unanimous decision to kill the
treaty, but TO accomplish this with the
minimum of polctial peril.
The problem was to prevent the
treaty from coming into effect with
out mourning responsibility for its de-
struction. Hence. though the history
record of yielding by the Democrats.
every time the Republican conditions
were met the Republicans shutFled the
cards and came out with demands. 1t
was very much like what President
Wilson accuses the Italians of in the
matter of settlement of the Adrlaotic
boundaries-the familiar principle of the
sibylline books.
1t started way back yonder when
the President came across the ocean
with the first draft of the League
Nations. Certain obvious objections
were presented, notably by Root and
Taft, which were promptly met by
notifications. But that doubtless to
the surprise of the ex-President and the
ex-Seorctary of State, did not bring
the League of Nations any closer to
ratification.
Then the thing came into the Senate,
the sentiment Of the couutry was for
the League, and the division of the
Republican delegation into irreconcilables
and middle-grounders promptly eventuatc
Borah and Johnson declared for killing
al -
of clergy, while the Lodge group took
the reservation route toward the same
destination.
Repeatedly during the long struggle
there has been an apparent approach
to agreement, but every time, Mt the
critical moment, something has hap
pened ON the Republican side to upset
the arrangements. Tho irreconeila-
bles have served notice that they will
fight, or the ACKNOWLEDGMENT
sen group has given warning of insur-
rection or Lodge has shifted without
any explanation, ar some other exDedient
has been invoked to avoid compromise.
Senator Simmons, VINO has kept IN
4 steady fight for ratification of the
treaty, has now lost hope. He now
dorbts the sincerity of the Republican
leaders 90 nut through anything like
an acceptable ratification resolution.
Il have been studying the story of
the treaty from the time it came To
the Senate until the present moment,
s:.ld he today. 'lt looks now as II
the Republicans were determined from
the beginning to kill the treaty by indirect
means
The Democratic members Of the
committee, On whica | was
sknst
efforts to get together on CONT romise
They were willing to
yield something in princiJle for settle
ncnt of the long drawn ont controversy.
We made progress. and were confident
that we could reach an agreement. Step
by ster we moved forward until we got toe
The reservation on Article Y. We felt
that we had framed compromise that
the Republicans would accept
We adjourned for lunch one day,
feeling that we had come 10 an under |
81 anding and would adoDt the pending I
There was plenty of indica- /
ion that the Republicans were about I
'eady to join with us and get it finished, /
)ut we never met again to continue the /
work. The protest that came from the /
was given rs an excuse for I
breaking off the negotiations. That /
vas a surprising conclusion OF our labors. /
II have felt from the early stages +
II the treaty fight IN the Senate that /
I would be impossible 10 ratify with
mr. reservations. but never have +
.hought the Democrats should accept
he Lodge reservations. | could not
'ote for the Lodge reservation on Article
y. under any circumstances. II that
$ adhered to by the Republican leaders
ne treaty viii not be ratified.
We were polling the Senate on the
.odge substitute for the original reser-
alton on Article " But before we
new what could be done we were
onfronted with an amendment to 1T
Thich made it worse han the first
ne
Senator Simmons said the German
evolution would nave no effect on
be Senate action on tho treaty. 1t looks
D him as If the treaty would remain
! the Senate for lack of enough votes
3 ratify IL