New-York tribune., 1920-02-19
Peace Treaty
Sidetracked
By Senators
Routine Business Is Taken
Up Instead; Little Inter-
est Is Shown in the Dead.
lock Over Ratification
By Carter Field

FROM me Ir1bunes Washington Blreau
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1S.-Without
single protest the Senate to-day, after
two fruitless days discussion, laid the
peace treaty aside and went ahead with
routine business. 1t took up the urgent
deficiency appropriation bill, and in
day Or two will take up the railroad
conference report. No one is manifest
ing any distress at the fact that there
IS no definite idea Of when the Senate
will get back to the treaty. AS one
Senator put it tonight, the Senators
are now divided into two groups on the
treaty" "irreconcilables" and "indiffer-
ents"
Administration Senators who called up
the State Department were informed
that there was no prospect of the Pres
ident withdrawing the treaty, despite
the statement in the Presidents note
to the British and French that he would
have to consider doing so if the Allies
persisted in the new Adriatic settle
ment. 1t was not assumed at all from
this that the reply of the Allies re-
ceived to-day was satisfactory, but
merely that there will be a copsidera-
Bile period of note writing, during which
there will be no move to withdraw the
treaty.
Treaty Threat Called Bluff
Senators generally regarded the
whole gesture about withdrawing the
treaty as bluff" but this did not
inspire the friends of the treaty to
manifest any interest The Admins
tration leaders are very much discour-
aged over the apparent impasse reached
over the reservations, and admit that
unless something is done when the vote
on the treaty finally is reached it will
be rejected again by combination Of
''irreconcilables" and Administration
Democrats.
The majority Republicans and the
minority of the Democrats willing to
accept the treaty with strong reserva-
tions do not approximate anything
like a two-thirds majority at present.
The only hope in sight, apparently, for
the treaty is that more Democrats will
break from the Wilson Hitchcock lead
ership and accept the spirit of the Lodge
reservations.
But despite the plain evidence of
this impasse, and despite the fact that
such Administration leaders as Sena
tor Hitchcock admit it is there, no
motions are being made which might
result in a compromise. Conferences
could not have taken place to-day, be-
cause Senator Lodge has been ordered
to bed by his physicians. But there
is no disposition to start any further
negotiations.
Democrats Lose McCumber
IT,, +lo E,,+ +;,oo +lo x,hola t,l@
the Administration leaders are at odds
with the best friend the treaty has on
the Republican side-Senator McCum-
Der, Of North Dakota. His charge that
the Democrats as we'll as the Repub-
licans are playing politics with their
insistence on the precise wording of
the reservations stung pretty deeply.
and Mr.. Hitchcock has no hope of win
ming him or any of the group of So
called mild reservationists" to any
compromise.
The loss of interest on the part of
most of the Democrats is accounted
for by the Presidents two most recent
actions-one in dismissing Secretary
Lansing and the other his warning to
the Allies that he might have to con-
and the French alliance treaty from the
senate.
1t is not that the Senators think
there is much chance that he really
will withdraw the treaty, but there is
a feeling of dependency over the whole
situation, particularly as they think of
how to defend their stand in the Presi-
Dental campaign just ahead. The sir
reconcilables" in the cloak rooms to-
day, with officially inspired admissions
that the note to the Allies did con-
tain threat to consider withdrawing
the treaty printed in the morning
papers, taunted the Democrats as to
how they could defend Article x on
the stump