Evening star., 1920-03-16
|RRECONCILABLES
ONLY TREATY HOPE
They May Join Colleagues in
Putting Final Action Up to
President wilson.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Again after nearly six months OF
wearisome debate the treaty of ver-
sailles is up for approval or retec-
tion. There has been no compromise.
Nothing has been accomplished since
last November except a reiteration by
both sides Of their original positions.
Changes in phraseology have been
made. but the line of cleavage on prin-
ciple remains the same.
There is one chance of adoption. It
lies not with the democrats-for the
majority Of them are held tight by
the injunction Of President Wilson
but with the so-called irreconcilables
in the republican party.
In the last vote they joined with the
forces Of reservationists led by Senator
Lodge and put into the ratifying resolu-
ton the very reservation on article X
which Mr.. Wilson says would nullfy
the league. If it does, and the irrecon-
cilables all along have openly said they
wanted to accomplish that object, they
could not have much logical objection
to voting for the ratifying resolution it.
self. That would make the NECESSARY
two-thirds. Defeat of the treaty would
then be squarely up to President Will
son.
Politics has played it's part-too much
OF part-but fundamentally the vote on
article X reveals that more than two
thirds of the Senate of the United States
disagree with President Wilson on the
assume in foreign affairs.
The Senate may or may not repre-
sent the true wishes of the American
people-elections next autumn NAV
determine that-but as at present re-
corded, the Senate has voted to put
hn Hn,h al rcth
agement of foreign affairs on Con-
gress and not on the executive, where
it has lodged in part heretofore.
Result Of Copdict.
This is the direct consequence of
the fact that President Wilson and
Congress have been at odds. 1t may
never happen again that the presi-
political party while Congress is
dominated by members of an opposite e
political faith. If the two branches
are of the same political complexion
and their responsibility to the coun-
try is single and not joint. then all
the changes that have been voted
upon. specifying that the United
States assumes no obligations unless
Congress says so. have been for
naught. America can participate fully
in the league Of nations or partially,
q,
President Wilson, on the other
hand, having dealt for seven years
with Congress. has pictured to him.
self the difficulties of doing any
thing international if the approval of
Congress has to be obtained for each
step. He remembers how ready a
majority of the Congress was to sur
render American rights on the high
seas when the McLemore resolution
was up. He remembers how hard it
has been to put through Congress
any treaty or agreement in seven
yersy. He has had to drive Congress.
So he believes that the reservations
nuIlify the effective operation of the
treaty. so far as America is con-
Hut that need not happen If Con-
gress and the Executive are of one
political party and are driven by a
compelling public opinion.
The whole debate in the Senate has
been about hypothetical cases-what
might happen if the present friction
between the executive and legislative
branches were permanent phase of
American government. There are
those who think harmonious days
NAV vet come as between Congress
and the executive. and men like Her
bert Hoover say il the league cannot
be made to work. even with the un-
wieldly reservations. then 1t hasn't
the value attributed to it. For after
the present campaign IS over and a
democratic or republican President
takes office, the presumption is that
he will carry with him a Congress Of
his own party.
President's Supporters.
Many democrats. led by the Presi-
dent and believing with him in the
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