Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-06-03
Hay. haled. cwt
SENATE REJECTS
PLEA FOR MANDATE

Washington, June 1-President Wilson's
plea for an American mandate over Ar
menia was rejected in the Senate to-day
by vote of more than two to one.
Thirteen Democrats cast their votes with
the united Republican membership on the
final roll call. and the resolution ''re-
spectfully declining" to grant Congress
sional authority for the mandate was
adopted 80 to % in the form drafted by the
Republican leaders.
The resolution will he sent to the House
tomorrow and the leaders there plan to
adopt il without change on Thursday.
They say they hope for as decisive a ma
iority as the measure was given in the
Senate.
In the debate to-day the Democratic
Senate leaders counselled delay and tried
in vain to put the decision over until the
next session of Congress. Scarcely a voice
was raised in our and out advocacy of ac-
cepting the mandate, and on motion to
amend the resolution so that the request
ed authority would be given, only u sem
ators, all of them Democrats. voted in
the affirmative. Recorded against the mo-
ton were % Democrats and 80 Republic
cans.
In their effort to ward off action, which
they argued was advisable because of the
peace deadlock. the minority leaders had
better success. A motion to send the res
olution back to committee with instruc-
tons that it be reported "after ratifica-
ton of a peace treaty with the central
powers" mustered almost solid Democratic
support but was lost 43 to "a.
several of the Democrats voting
against the resolution, including Sem
ator Hitchcock of Nebraska who led
the administration fight for ratification
of the treaty of Versailles announced
they did so only because they felt the
direct language of the measure would
discourage the efforts of the Armenian
I people
Senator Hitchcock presented an
amendment. which he said, would make
the resolution acceptable to him, pro-
vidilg for joint commission Of
! Americans and Armenians to rehabil;-
tate the new republic economically, It
was rejected i3 to "a. with only two
Republicans, senators Kenyon Of Iowa
aud Townsend of Michigan support
ing il
Leading the fight to recommit the
resolution, Senator Underwood of
Alabama, the Democratic leader, de-
clared it would he equally inoppor-
tune" to accept or reject the mandate
until the details of peace hal been
worked out. The nation. he argued,
]
wanted to take such a responsibility
until it had decided finally the greater
question of whether it should join the
| eaEue of Nations.
Senator Walsh of Montana and several
| other Democrats declared the foreign
relations committee had drafted the res
! olution hastily and that many pertinent
questions as to the nature and scope OF
| the contemplated mandate had not been
answered. In reply Senator Lodge, Massa-
| chusetts. the Republican leader, pointed
| out that Subcommittee had made an
I exhaustive investigation of the Armenian
| situation before the Presidents request
| was received
Il do not desire" said senator Lodge,
ito have this country give to the world
| the impression that il does not sympathize
with the Armenian people. They are
gallant people think they deserve aid.
But there are many ways to give them
aid without involving the United States