The Washington herald., 1920-02-08
WILSON LETTER
ARMS LEADERS
NTREATYFRAY
Message to Hitchcock, De-
MED Many Days, Re
vealed to Public.
DEMANDS NOT CHANGED
Lodge Adherents Line Up
Votes for Senate Fight
This Week.


lowers yield to Democratic efforts to-
ward compromise when the treaty Is
called up IN the Senate this week. II
b now the consensus Of opinion In
the Senate that the treaty will be
defeated.
Basis for this belief was furnished
when Senator Hitchcock at yester-
days Democratic conference read a
letter from President Wilson advis-
ing his followers to oppose the Lodge
reservations on Article Ten and all
proposed reservations which deny any
obligation on the part of the United
States to fulhn the bargain which
carrying out the provisions of Article
Ten would impose.
Like Jackson Day Note.
President Wilson's letter was dated
January q. and was received by Sem
ator Hitchcock prior to the publica-
ton Of Viscount !Grey's letter to the
london Times The letter from tho
President to his followers in the
Senate practically reiterates the mes
sage contained in his Jackson Day
letter to the effect that the United
states assumes no obligation under
any article Of the treaty which
would chill our relationship with the
nations with which we expect to be
associated in the great enterprise OF
maintaining the worlds peace" .
II was said yesterday that If the
President had remained silent the
next two weeks would have seen
the ratification of the treaty con-
tanning the Lodge reservations. Now
Republicans declare they will
not yield on the Lodge reservations.
Senator Hitchcock expressed him
self after yesterdays conference as
determined TO take the fight to the
floor of the Senate this week and
endeavor to secure the adoption of
reservations which will not emascu-
late the treaty or totally destroy
its meaning. A second defeat would
result in the treaty being trans
formed into a clear cut issue to be
fought out in the coming presiden-
tial campaign.
Five Changes Approved.
The President. in his letter. sig
nihed his Willingness to accept five
reservations which Senator Hitch
cock offered in the Senate on No
vember 10. which the Senate re-
fused to consider by the vote OF Al
to So These five reservations are
the mildest thus far proposed by
Frfa - ha of
Article ten being a mere statement
that the orders of the League of
Nations are to be construed merely
as advice upon which Congress shall
have the power to act.
The President disapproved the COM
promise reservation which Senator
Hitchcock and the other Democrats
offered in the recent bipartisan con-
ference. a copy of which was sent to
him by Senator Hitchcock just before
the bipartisan conference broke up.
OF this reservation the President in
his letter states that he agrees with
the substance of it. as he is bound to
support the Constitution of the United
states. but that the wording of it is
very unfortunate"
Nineteen for Wilson.
for ratification 1t would be necessary
TO get the votes of twenty-nine Demo-
Gratis. It Is not believed that more
than half this number will be willing
to desert the President and accept the
Lodge reservation. Some estimates
made today after the delivery of the
Presidents letter indicated that there
will be, at the lowest possible mimi
mum. nineteen Democrats who will
stand by the President in any event.
This number added to the fourteen
irreconciliable Republicans would yield
exactly thirty-three votes against the
treaty. or enough to kill IL.
But the number of those who are ex-
pected to follow the President to the
last ditch is upon every side estimated
at considerably more than nineteen
The Democrats who participated in
the conference are all at sea as to
how their votes will be recorded on
the final roll call. After they heard
the Presidents letter read they found
themselves suddenly without any
thing to talk about. They discussed
for a time the procedure in the SEN
ate which will follow the making of
senator Lodges motion. and then ad-
journed without taking any action of
any kind.
II was understood when the con-
ference adjourned that each Senator
was free to act according to his own
will in the matter of voting on the
Lodge reservations. No attempt will
be made. 1t was announced. to bind
the Democratic Senators on any con-
serted plan OF action.
No Cloture Rule.
IL was agreed however that all
would help Senator Lodge bring the
treaty again before the Senate and
that no effort to secure the adoption
of a cloture rule will be made unless.
as Senator Hitchcock said. IT becomes
evident that deliberate efforts are
being made to prolong unnecessarily
the debate.
In making public the Presidents
letter Senator Hitchcock allowed II
to become known that he has had
the letter in his possession for at
least ten days. notwithstanding the
fact that he strenuously denied dur
ing the past three days that he had
received any direct communication
from the President on the subject
- =