New-York tribune., 1920-02-28
Hitchcock and Underwood
Declare Enough Demo-
Gratis Will Stand Firm
to Beat Reservations
81 Votes in Sight;
Ten More Needed
Hoke Smith Accuses Mi
nority Leader of Acting
as an Obstructionist

Eron, Tho Tribure's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.-A canvass
of the Senate made to-day by Senators
Underwood, Of Alabama, and Hitchcock
of Nebraska, showed that the peace
treaty with Germany will be defeated
for second time in the Senate when
the vote is taken on ratification within
the next week or two.
Senator Hitchcock is leader Of the
Administration forces in the treaty.
fight, and Senator Underwood is leader
of the group Of Democratic Senators
VINO are prepared to accept most of
the Lodge reservations in order to
obtain ratification. The two Senators
are rival candidates for the position
Of permanent Democratic leader in the
Senate
According to both Senators the poll
disclosed that enough Democratic Sen
ators Will vote against the Lodge reser-
walton on Article x and several of the
other reservations in the lodge pro-
gram TO prevent ratification.
Ten More Votes Needed
lhe votes Of ten more Democratic
senators are needed to make up the
necessary two-thirds by which the
treaty must be ratified, the poll showed.
counting the full strength of thirty
nve votes OH the Republican side. the
Democrats who want ratification on the
best terms obtainable can muster only
nineteen votes on their side. That
would give only fifty-four votes for
ratification, instead of the npcessorx-
siXty-four.
senator Underwood said he himself is
to vote for the Lodge reser-
walton to Article X, and that he ex-
poets to vote against ratification if
that reservation is readopted by the
Senate. Should the reservation be
modified, he said, three or four addi-
tlonal Democratic votes could be OBJ
talned, but not enough to ratifv the
treaty.
The Senate passed the entire after
noon discussing the treaty No vote
was taken on any Of the remaining
reservations. Senator Norris, of Me-
Draska, spoke for three hours on the
owen reservation on Egypt, which re-
cent polls of the Senate showed will be
adopted. The Owen resolution declares
that RATIFICATION is deposited with the
understanding that the British protec
torate over Egypt is only temporary
and that Egypt eventually will be given
complete freedom
senator Norris charged the British
government violated its agreement in
regard to Egypt and that the Egyptian
people are being oppressed by the Brit
ish. The treaty would perpetuate Brit
lsh rule in Egypt, said the Senator.
Hitchcock Called Obstructionist
Senator Smith, Democrat, of Georgia.
discussing the Hitchcock substitute for
the Lodge reservation on domestic
questions, charged the Administration
leader with attempting to obstruct rati-
tication. The Hitchcock reservation
proposed yesterday, declares that mo
member nation" is required to submit
domestic questions to the Jurisdiction
OF the league of nations.
Senator Smith said he favors rcser-
Vation on domestic questions "In ia
vorlng such a reservation" said the
senator, II am only following the pol
ICY lald down in 1912, when every
democratic member OF this body voted
for an amendment to the arbitration
treaty with Great Britain exempting
domestic questions from the terms Of
that treaty.
but the substitute proposed by the
Senator from Nebraska is nothing more
man an obstruction to the ratification
OF this treaty. l expect the 'irreconcil
ables' will support it, because they are
Tor anything that will defeat the
treaty"
Mr.: Smith asked Senator Hitchcock
to withdraw the substitute. If it is
adopted" Senator Smith added, "there
vii have to be new conference at
Paris and the treaty will have to he
resubmitted."
The Hitchcock substitute will be
pending in the Senate when considera-
ton of the treaty is resumed to-mor-
row.