Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-02-13
HOUSE AGAINST
MAKING TREATY
ELECTION ISSUE
Straw Vote Shows Congress
men Strong for Immediate
Action on Question.
50 FOR RATIFICATION
BY International News Service.

by lnternaC1Onal NEWS service
WASHINGTON, Feb. S.-Regardless Of
party ties, the house Of representatives
today, by a straw vote, indicated en-
phatically its rejection Of the idea Of
making the treaty OF peace an election
Issue, and showed itself to be strongly in
favor of the immediate settlement Of the
controversy.
This was brought out by a vote taken
by the international News Service and
/ in which every member Of the lower
house, without exception, had an equal
opportunity Of participating. Other ex-
tremely significant facts were revealed.
or the 102 votes cast by the representa-
tives not one was in favor of making the
treaty the paramount issue in the presl-
Dental campaign, nor for a referendum
unless such referendum could be taken
independent Of all else and unconnected
with any political election.
DEMOCRATS TIMID
ABOUT VOTING.
OF the total vote ninety three con
gressmen stood in favor of ratification
of the treaty in some form or other,
only nine Of the total these republicans,
voting for fat rejection.
Unanimous as they undoubtedly were
on the issue of immediate action, dem
ocrats and republicans in the house
were nowhere else in such complete
accord On all other angles they were
divided according to strict party lines,
precisely as the senate has been all
along on the same question.
A curious phase of the straw vote
was chat of the '1O2 ballots. the demo
Gratis cast but twenty, as against the
republicans eighty two-about one to
four By the political sharks this is
taken to indicate that the democrats Of
the house are strongly in favor Of com
promise measures in the treaty debate,
but are timid about expressing them
selves openly at this time lest 1t EN-
barrass administration leaders when the
fight begins anew on the floor OF the
senate Monday.
Specially printed ballots were sub
mitted to each member of congress. on
these were enumerated six possible solu-
lions Of the problem:
Tho unconditional ratification of the
treaty
Qualification with the Lodge reser-
vations.
3-Ratification on a compromise basis
4-submitting the treaty to a special
referendum.
5-Making it an issue in the elections.
6-ReJection pure and simple.
PERMITTED TO
DESCRIBE VIEWS.
Congressman were asked to indicate
a first and second choice of the above
solutions, or in case none Of these met
with their approval, to indicate their
stand in writing on a special line re-
served for remarks
The first choice of the 102 representa-
tives who voted resulted as follows:
II. For unconditional ratification of
tho treaty. Democrats rapubI{coDs
none.
2. For ratification with the Lodge
reservations: Republicans, &C; democrats,
none.
3. For compromise: Republicans, j
democrats, 5.
4. For submitting the treaty to a spe-
cial referendum: Republicans, /; demo
Gratis, none.
8. For carrying the treaty into the
campaign: Not single vote.
6. Rejection, pure and simple: Repub-
licans, 8; democrats, 0.
1t will be seen that of the republicans
voting sixty-six expressed themselves in
favor of ratification with the Lodge res.
creations attached; six favoring a com
promise based on some kind of reserva-
tons.
This gives a total of seventy two re-
publicans favoring ratification one way
or another
} One republican, out Of the total Of
/ eighty taking part in the straw vteo,
expressed as his first choice the ratih-
cation of the treaty minus the League OF
nations.
TWO DEMOCRATS
URGE HASTE.
The entire 1o2 participants did not ex-
press a second choice. Seventy six Of
them, however, did SO, and these lined
up in this way:
l. For unconditional ratification: No
votes.
., For ratification with Lodge reser-
Yations: Republicans, 16; democrats,
none.
3. For compromise: Republicans. 10 :;
democrats, u.
4. For special referendum: Republic
ans, 3; democrats, none.
8. For carrying the, issue into the
campign: Republicans, IA; democrats, s.
6. For rejection, pure and simple:
Republicans, IS; democrats, none.
Two democrats expressed the wish to
see the treaty ratified at once upon the
best possible terms, regardless of whether
they partooF more of the nature of the
Lodge reservations or those suggested
by Hitchcock