Evening star., 1920-05-30
BOTH. DEMOCRATS
AND REPUBLICANS
\ OPPOSE MANDATE
Senator Hitchcock Favors
Amendment to Encourage
Armenia by U. S. Aid.

After discussing President Wilson's
request for authority to assume
mandate over Armenia during the
greater part of the afternoon yester-
day the Senate deferred action until
tomorrow. when it will set time
later in the week to vote on the reso-
luton introduced by Senator Lodge
of. the foreign relations committee.
refusing to extend the authority
asked
Both democrats and republicans in
the Senate opposed the acceptance OF
such a mandate by this country. but
Senator Hitchcock, democrat. said he
would submit an amendment to en-
courage Armenia by adding pro-
vision extending American aid in the
economic upbuilding of the new near
eastern republic. The plan was taken
under advisement by the republican
leaders.
Proposes Sale of Bonds.
Under the suggested provision.
which was presented by Senator
Hitchcock of Nebraska. the admins
trsstion leader in the treaty fight
joint commission of Americans and
supervise the sale here of $50.000.0 900
in armenian bonds The proceeds
would go TO the purchase of railroad
and agricultural materials and SINH
lar equipment and to the establish
ment of an Armenian banking sys-
tenn.
In urging his proposal Senator
Hitchcock said he felt that the reso-
luton as reported by the foreign re-
lations committee would have the ef-
feet of ''discouraging" the Armenian
people Senator Lodge Of Massachu-
ssfts, the republican leader, replied
that proposals to aid Armenia would
ber received with much sympathy on
his side of the chamber, ut added that
there were many ways in which and
could be extended.
There was only q brief discussi On of
the merits of the Presidents request.
which Senator Hitchcock said he did
not Intend to support. Several othar
democratic senators also indicated
their disapproval, but Senator Will
1iams. democrat. Mississippi declared
the United States would be unfaithful
to its responsibilities il it declined to
take the mandate.
+. No Written Report.
Senators Jones Of New Mexico and
Robinson of Arkansas, democrats,
said the resolution involved an i'm
portant question and a vote should not
be taken without giving it serious
consideration. The former called at
tCntfoh- u tuc TACT InaI lne COmmit-
tee. had presented no written report
senator Lodge replied that the mat
ter had been considered for months
afd after that only lack OF time and
aibelief that the reasons for refusing
mandate were so plain Child could
understand them," were responsible
for the absence Of a formal report.
when Senator Wadsworth, republi-
c4n, OF New York expressed the opin-
1Qn that the report of the Harbord
commission had thoroughly digested,
tee Facts surrounding the situation,
the New Mexico senator replied that
he had not read the report.
Smith and Lenroot Oppose.
The committee ,asSumes,". said SEN
ator Jones. that a mandate means
carrying out the elaborate proposal
outlined in the Harbord report, but
tfe covenant Of the league of nations
says specifically that 1t may be limited
to furnishing of administrative ad-
Benator Lenroot, republican, Wis.,
consin. declared acceptance Of the
limited mandate suggested by SEN
aeor Jones would 'leave the Armenian
people In a worse state than before. >,
Acceptance of the mandate was on
posed also by Senator Smith, demo-
crat. Georgia, who suggested that
CongrHss had no constitutional au-
tnority to use public money for such
a purpose. and added that in any case
blSpket authority in the matter should
not be given the President without
kAowmg the attitude OF Armenia's
nefghbora
why, even the boundaries Of Ar
Men1a have not yet been fixed" inter-
rupted Senator Lodge.