The Washington herald., 1920-02-17
LODGE REOPENS
TREATY DEBATE
ON ARTICLE X
Springs New Reservation
Empowering Congress
To Withdraw.
MINORITY WANT CLASH
Democrats Anxious to Get
Rid of Measure One
. Way or Another.

Debate on the treaty of peace
was formally opened in the Senate
yesterday when Senator Lodge pre-
sented the amended form of the
first reservation, which relates to
withdrawal from the league.
The new reservation provides that
either the President. or Congress
alone by a majority vote of both
houses. may give notice of with
drawal
Administration Senators have vir-
tually abandoned hope Of reaching
a compromise on the Article Y res
ervation. the main obstacle so far
to the ratification of the pact. Both
Senators Hitchcock and Underwood
yesterday reluctantly expressed
their fears that it will be impos-
sihJe to bring sixty-fOur Senators
together on this reservation.
Democrats are anxious for the
impending clash ON Article y. SO
that the treaty may be disposed OF
one way or the other. Senator
Hitchcock yesterday asked Repub-
Iican Leader Lodge to sidetrack all
the other reservations to be con-
sidered in advance Of Article y and
to permit the struggle on this point
to be brought to a decision at once.
Hitchcock Explains Action.
Senator Hitchcock explained his ac-
tion by pointing out that the Senate
will be merely wasting its time in
the consideration of other rcseTva-
tions when. at the end of the weeks
or months OF debate the Senate will
find itself again hopelessly dead
locked on the reservation.
This step by the Democratic leader
was regarded yesterday as an admis-
sion OF defeat, for Senator Hitchcock
is aware that his own reservation on
Article X will not command sufficient
Republican votes to guarantee the
qualification Republican lead
ers -sre .Grmly united in their refusal
to alter or modify the Lodge reser-
vation. g.
Senator Hitchcock's proposal TOOK
Senator Lodge by surprise. He made
no answer to the suggestion, how
ever. and it is not yet known whether
or not he will depart from his original
program of calling up the reservations
in the order in which they come in
the resolution
Has 40 signatures.
Senator Hitchcock at present kas
the signatures of forty Democratic
Senators to an agreement to sup
port either the Taft reservation on
Article y or the one proposed in
the bipartisan conference.
The reservation proposed in the
bipartisan conference is the only
one which Senator Lodge failed t.
present to the Senate last week
when he formally introduced nine
Of his original reservations which
had been modified in conference.
Several additional signatures to
this agreement were obtained by
Senator Hitchcock yesterday. DEM
ocrats admit that if Republicans
adhere to their determination not
to yield on Article y. all hopes of
ratification are lost
Explaining the reservation. taken
up yesterday, Senator Lodge said he
was convinced that withdrawal by
concurrent resolution, as provided
in the original reservation. would
not do. and that the signature of
the President would be required.
Gives Congress- Power, Too.
The purpose of the amended res
eryation." he said. lis to give the
power to Congress as well as I'd fthe
President. The language of Nthe
treaty does not give the power spe-
officially to the President, but no
doubt that was intended.
The original reservation has been
represented as reflection on the
President. but that is not true. as it
would refer not only to the present
incumbent of the Presidency. but to
all future Presidents As amended
il provides that notice of withdrawal
may be given by the President or
by Congress whenever the two
houses by a majority vote, so de-
eide
Il am perfectly willing to leave it
to the President alone to decide
when we should get out of the
league. but do not hesitate to say
! am willing to facilitate it by Civ
ing Congress the same right.
Senator McCumber suggested that
the reservation was an improvement
from the standpoint of those who
want to get out of the league as soon
as possible. He said he did not like
the idea OF giving the President au-
Ihority to take the United States out
Of the league when Congress and the
country might desire to remain in it.
Senator Lodge replied: There is
where we differ. The Senator. sees
no objection to binding US in the
treaty as hard and as fast as pos
sible. | don't i believe that either
the President or Congress should have
the right to take US out
If we did not specify that a ma
jority vote was necessary, il would
require a two-thirds vote in each
House to override the veto of the
President IL a resolution ordering us
out of the league were passed. This
reservation provides that only a ma
jority vote is needed, and | believe
that is as IL should be-"
Senator Mccormick, of Illinois in n
formal speech against the treaty said
the demand in European countries for
revision Of the treaty was one of the
best reasons why II should not be rati-
fed. He declared himself opposed also
TO the efforts to revise the Lodge
reservations.
Senator McCumber chided the Senate
for what he termed 'child's play in
arguing over the form of reseryat tions
He declared the Sanfimanf of tba -.