New-York tribune., 1920-02-17
Minority, Thrown Into
Confusion by Lansing
and Fiume Episodes,
Ready for Best Offer
Mccormick Opens
Attack on League
Hitchcock Announces He
Will Drop Fight for In
terpretative Reservations
By Carter Field


WASHINGTON, Feb. 16. - Without
any compromise or agreement looking
toward ratification in sight, the peace
treaty was brought up in the Senate
to-day and formally discussed for the
first time since November 10, when II
was rejected both with and without
reservations.
Definite announcement by Senator
Hitchcock, Administration leader, that
he had abandoned hope of restricting
the reservations to the "interpreta-
tive" variety demanded by the Presi-
dent virtually left Mr.. Wilson without
q single spokesman for his original
position. In other words, there is not
Senator fighting for the thing to ac-
complish which the President made
the tour OF the country which resulted
IN his collapse at Wichita.
Senator Mccormick, one of the
strong "irreconcilables, hammered the
treaty most of the afternoon. Senator
Thomas, Democrat, of Colorado, who
has Joined the ranks of the "irrecon-
cilables" since last session, will follow
tomorrow. Meanwhile the Democrats
are showing an eagerness to avoid dis
cussion of the treaty. They would
like TO close Oft the debate in some
way.
Hitchcock's Hand Forced
1t was the impaticnce of some of the
Democratic Senators, it was said to-
night, which drove Senator Hitchcock
to give up the fight for "interpretative"
reservations. Weakened by the Will
son-Lansing episode and bewildered by
the Presidents stand with regard to
the Adriatic situation, the Administra-
ton line-up was SO weak that Mr.
Hitchcocks hand was forced.
1--WE have simply crawled back into
the same hole we came out Of" said
one Administration leader in painting
a rather gloomy view of the situation.
eve have abandoned our interpre-
tative reservation" said Senator Hitch
cock, "and are willing to accept either
the Taft reservation on Article x or
the reservation framed by the biparti-
san committee"
This declaration that the Admins
tration group has abandoned the in
terpretative reservations approved by
the President in his letter to. Senator
Hitchcock on January 26 was received
by all factions in the Senate treaty
fight as an announcement that the
Democrats now are willing to accept
the best they can get in reservations
Democrats Leave Way Open
The two reservations referred to by
Senator Hitchcock were proposed to
the Republicans by twenty light Demo-
Gratis last Saturday as a possib basis
for a compromise. The Democrats at
the time informed Senator Lodge that
their pledge to vote for either of the
suggested reservations would not pre-
vent them from voting for some other
if neither of the suggested reserva-
tions was acceptable
The "mild reservationists' opened a
fight to bring the two extreme groups
of the Senators who want ratification
together, either on the basis Of the
original Lodge reservation to Article
\, the Taft reservation or the bipart-
isan conference reservation.
Consideration of the treaty was re-
sumed in the Senate to-day with the
Republicans stiffened in their opposi-
ton to making any concessions on res
ervations to the Democrats. and the
Democrats in confusion regarding their
plans as the result Of President Will
sons actions during the last few days
Minority Thrown Into Panic
The resignation Of Mr. Lansing and
the Presidents note on the Adriatic
situation have thrown the Democratic
Senators into a near panic. No Demo-
cratic Senator is willing to defend
the manner in which President Wilson
forced Mr.. Lansing to resign as Secre-
tary of State. The reopenirg of the
Fiume problem by the President took
them by surprise, and many Admins-
tration Democrats frankly said that
they could not attempt to support the
President in that matter, since they
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