The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-01-15
By JAMES r. NorRsE.

the standpoint of those who want the
treaty OF peace ratified, the situation
! IN the senate took a decided turn Tor
| the worse todav. IT became more than
ever apparent that tho efforts oil VIII
| liam Jennings Bryan and others TO
| inject new life into the dead instru-
| inent would ISL. and that the treaty
! VIII stay just where it Is until the
people of America have been given a
chance to vote on IL.
This was the view of the situation
(which Republican senators gained in
a conference With Senator Lodge
fwhere a, the neH developments in
| the controversy were fully discussed.
! Senator Lodge gave definite assur-
| ance that, so far as the votes Of ma
], rity Of the Republicans are. con-
| ccrned there will be no yielding what
| ever on any of the vital Americana
| ing reservations now before the gen.
ate. Minor changes In the wording
of the preamble, and in the reserva-
lions on Shantung. voting power and
the labor sections of the. league Of
| nations covenant may be accepted. but
the other reservations are =unaitarah bic.
in Senator Lodges ePiHieH.
Several of the Republican senator's
went so far as to characterize the
| Democratic negotiate tons for "compro-
mise reservations" as mere camou-
who are thus engaged know full well
| that, no matter what they finally
agree to, the president will not give
them a particle of announcement and
will not accept the ratification If they
vote for it.
Although these NEGOTIATIONS be-
| tween Democratic senators and the
! mild reservation" Republicans were
carried forward today with consider
| able vim and enthusiasm, most of the
Republicans associated with Senator
/ Lodge took no notice of them and de-
cfared they would come to nothing.
Ii is not believed possible for the
mild" Senators on the Republican
side to get together with the admins
| tration men on any proposition which
can command the votes of sixty-four
senators. Even if they could, thera is
less chance of getting the president to
accept such ratification.
] The Republicans of long experience
in the senate became alarmed today
over the prospect that the skill of
Senator Hitchcock and other leaders
among the Democrats was being ex-
erted for the purpose of maneuvering
the treaty into such a position that
Senator Lodge and those directly as
ISOLATED with him would have to bear
the responsibility of defeat 1t was
set forth by these Republicans that If
by any chance Senator Hitchcock and
the other administration men could
be brought to agree with the mild
reservation" Republicans on a pro-
gram unacce ptable to Senator Lodge,
the latter would be obliged to lead
his forces against the treaty, and by
delivering thirty -three or thirty-fye
votes defeat its ratification.
REPUBLICANS TTMID.
! II this were done President Wilson
and all the Democratic hosts could
then go before the country and say
Lodge and the rest of tho Repub-
leans did it." AS the matter now
stands the Republicans have the best
/ of it politically, because it was by the
votes of Democratic senator's, obedient
to President Wilson, that the treaty
was defeated month ago.
| 1t was because of this alarm on the
part of the old-line republic and that
conferences were sought with Sena-
tor Lot - TO warn him against falling
| into Democratic trap. They urged
him to stand firm on the vital reser-
vations. SO that 1t should not come TO
pass that a compromise filed with
weak spots might be presented upon
which Lodge and his associates would
/ have to cast negative votes.
Senator Lodge appeared to be fully
aware Of the possibilities of danger
in the situation. for he assured the Re
! publicans who visited him that the re-
! segvatfors could not be changed in
any vital particular and that nothing
that the Others might do would receive
sixty-four votes.
! William Jennings Bryan continued
his efforts TO bring about ratification
| by sending to every Democratic sena-
! ter this message from Lincoln, Ne
! braska:
| Il very earnestly hope that 1t may
! be possible to secure an agreement on,
the reservations and ratification before
/ next Friday. SO that our nation can
enter the league OF nations at its first
session on January is. The JOY Of the
| American people would, i am sure, be
as universal as 1t was when the armis-
- was signed"
acre were continued conferences
between the Democrats and mild Re-
| publicans, but no agreement was
! reached. The Republicans have
agreed to submit counter proposal
to that offered by the Democrats who
| met last night at the home of Sena-
tor Owen. They will offer to yield
on the preamble. Shantung labor and
voting power, but will insist in return
that the Democrats support the Lodge
reservation on Article X and on the
Monroe doctrine.
Senator McNary. leader of the
mild reservationis,s," said the Demo-