Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-03-11
LAST RESERVATION
To TREATY BEFORE:
SENATE FOR VOTE
French Papers CaustiC in
Their Conment~on Presi-
dent Wilson'S Reference to
Their MiIitariSm

WASHINGTON. March 1Q.-Th2
senate today took up article \.
The question on which the coming
presidential campaign may turn. and
upon which ratification of the treaty
certainly does turn is now before
senators.
No senator dared predict whether
the differences separating the two
PARTIES will be reconciled and some
form of compromise reservation on
this article adopted.
But the belief is general that II
sc called compromise is agreed to, Il
will mark a surrender by one side
or the other of principles which both
have repeatedly declared to be Vita.
aad never to be surrendered
The question today is just what
it was last November. 1t is sim
ply:
Shall the United States assume an
obligation to help protect other ma
lions against a predatory. warfare
or shall it refuse that obligation?
If it refuses, there can be nc
League of Nations. says President
Wilson.
Trying to Compromise
There still labored today a little
group of compromisers, who pro-
Tess to believe that after all, either
the president or Senator Lodge might
yield at the last minute, in spite
o. their statements to the public.
The compromise move seemed like
Il to develop into an effort to pass
the onus of responsibility for defeat
Of the treaty, rather than to rati-
fy it. Both sides have their eyes on
the campaign, apparently.
Dozens of substitutes for the
Lodge reservation are to be offered.
Most of them are so much like it
that the ordinary citizen would have
difficulty finding any difference. ~
The final vote may come this week
3! early next week.
v
section of the League of Nations
covenant is in progress, negotiations
looking to compromise on the Re
publican reservations will be contln-
ued. though both sides frankly are
without much hope that an agree
ment will be effected. several Re-
publican leaders drafted substitute
reservation yesterday for which they
said they obtained the support of
twenty-eight Democrats, but even
that number is from two to six short
of the minority votes needed by the
ma iortiy to ratify the treaty carry
ing qualifications which President
Wilson has declared cut the very
heart. from the pact"
4 score of Democratic senators
met today in Senator Owens office
in an effort to agree on some reserVa-
ton to Article Y. At the same time
Republican mild reservationists were
eXerting themselves in every direc-
ton, trying to get an agreement.
But when the senate met none of
these efforts had succeeded. 1t was
stated at that time that twenty-eight
Democrats had tentatively agreed to
accept some modification of the Lodge
reservation. on Article Y, but We're
not pledged TO any particular draft.
Senator Lenroot, mild reservatiop-
lists. was prepared to offer pro-
posed compromise to the senate, and
there was a bare possibility that the
whole question would come to some
sort of fecision before the day ended.
The reservation on voting power in
the league, declaring that the United
States declines to be bound by de-
cisions to which congress has not
assented until voting power is made
equal, was readopted yesterday, % to
90.
Article
Here is article ten, on which the
fate of the peace treaty again is
suspended just two compact SEN
fences set in the midst of an eighty
thousand word document:
THE members of the league UNI
dertake to respect and preserve as
against external aggression the ter
ritorial integrity and existing poll
tical independence of all members
of the league. In case of any such
aggression or in case of any threa
or danger of such aggression, the
council shall advise upon the means
by which this obligation shall be
fulfilled"
FRENCH PAPERS COMMENT