Evening star., 1920-04-03
PEACE MOVE WILL
PROL0NG WRANGLE
G. o. P. Leaders See No
End of Warfare Over
Treaty.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Conferences between republican
leaders in both the Senate and House
confirm the impressions gained ear
lfer in the week that a program has
been outlined with respect to the joint
resolution declaring peace which will
keep Congress and the executive in
perpetual warfare for the next few
months without getting either side
anywhere.
Just as President Wilson struck a
snag by ignoring the Senate.
whose advice and consent ia
necessary In making treaties.
so are the republicans In Con-
gress likely to run up against in
superable obstacles in their efforts to
negotiate an agreement with GERMANY
In violation Of the constitutional pre-
rogative which vests the power of
negotiation In the presidency But
not all the republicans are going to
be led into the acceptance of the
makeshift proposal of peace by Joint
resolution. Influential republicans
OF both the Senate and the House are
preparing to vote against the meas
ure.
: Republican Opposition Probable.
1t begins to look as If many of the
republicans In the House who come
from states which favor tine peace
treaty with the Lodge reservations
Will decline to vote for a resolution
whose validity is open to serious uues-
tion and which. as it's oponents are
prepared to demonstrate. may involve
the United States in further compli-
cations with Germany.
Under the language of the Joint
resolution Germany would obtain all
the rights OF the treaty of Versailles.
This means. incidentally, all the rights
which the covenant Of the league of
nations grants to member states, Ger
many. 1t Is argued, would be in a po-
sition even before she was admitted
to the league to block the solution of
any questions affecting the rights Of
American citizens to damages sus-
tained during the war if the joint
resolution becomes the law of the
United States.
No Rosy Path in Senate.
But while the resolution will be at
tackled In the House by republicans as
well as democrats, indications are that
1t will pass. The Senate leaders have
been in constant conference lately
with House leaders and assured them
selves Of that fact. Yet the path of
the resolution in the Senate Is far from
split on the question of reservations,
largely because SO many of them
thought the treaty with the Lodge
reservations was better than none at
all. the full strength OF the party, with
the exception of two or three votes,
Will be mustered against the joint
resolution. The republican mild reser-
vationists are reported to be unwiil-
ing to accept the responsibility of the
enects OF the joint resolution, and some
OF them will vote against it. Constitu-
tional lawyers. like Senators Cummins
nd Tn1 ne 40 Tel
hardly expected to support the pro-
posal. because of its obvious effort to
negotiate an agreement with q for
eign government.
1t is quite possible that by the time
the Senate gets through with the
amended SO that 1t advises the Presi-
dent to declare a state of peace and
proceeds in the same act to declare
the purposes for which wartime leg
islation was passed to be at an end.
Democrats Eager.
One thing seems certain: There will
be almost as much debate in the Sem
for discussion as when the peace
treaty itself was on the calendar. But
the democrats look forward to the
tussle as they would to a field day. |
For instead of being on the defensive |
as they have been throughout the |
treaty uSHl, lIcy ere HoW preparing
TO take the offensive against a re- |
publican proposal. The democrats |
have been In the position of defend |
ing the treaty while the republicans |
punctured 1t with holes. They will |
now start to pick flaws in the joint |
resolution. They will have on their |
,ide a wealth of precedents about the |
express and implied powers of Con-
xress. Chiefly they will be able to |
point to the journal Of the constitu- |
.ional convention. wherein a motion |
was made to give Congress the right |
@ declare peace as well as war. mo- |
ion that was unanimously beaten.
This action was taken largely be- (,
.ause of the trouble the confederation /
# colonies had in getting the treaty /
With England ratified. They found |
hat it was an unwieldly and difficult |
procedure for the legislative body to |
lttempt to negotiate treaties. 1t was
lecided to give the Senate a check on |
he power of the executive by the rati- |
ication power, but no provision was
made for the negotiation of treaties
,r agreements with foreign govern
nents except through the executive. |
other foreign governments maintain |
he Same practice. as treaty negotiat-
ng is considered an executive func-
ion.
Members OF Congress- who haYs- hsenA