The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1920-01-14
TREATY PARLEYS
END IN DEADLOCK
Lodge Rejects the Latest Dem.
OCratic Proposals,
NO REAL CONCESSIONS
Republicans Action Throws Situation
Back to the Original status-All
Are Playing Politics.

Are Playing Politics.
Washington, Jan. 1.-THE peace
treaty situation offers little encour-
agement to those who would like to
see the senate dispose of it without
any further dilly-dallying.
Rejection by Senator Lodge, the Re
publican leader, of the latest Demo-
cratic proposal for compromise on
reservations, has thrown the entire
situation back to where it was on
November 10, when the Democrats
voted down the Lodge reservations at
the behest of President Wilson, and
thereby blocked immediate ratifica-
ton.
Unless the Democratic senators all
lied with the administration are will
ing to accept the Lodge reservations
in substantially the form in which
they were adopted by decisive ma
jority of the senate, Mr.. Lodge says
they are wasting his time and theirs
i'll coming to him with any proposal.
Stripped of camouflage and propa-
ganda, the situation is so closely
wrapped up with the game of politics
that those who are watching it at
close range have about abandoned
hope of any immediate compromise
leading toward ratification.
Chambers of commerce and similar
organizations are still deluging SEN
ators with eloquent appeals for early
ratification, but the situation is sim
pie mathematical problem which the
pressure Of outside influences bent on
ratification have thus far failed to
solve.
There is nothing new about this
mathematical proposition. 1t merely
involves the obvious necessity for six
ty-four senators, or the two-thirds of
the senate essential to ratification, to
vote for one form of reservation. Thus
far, despite all the dickering that has
been going on, there are not sixty
four senator's, or anything approach
ing that number of senators, agreed
on any particular kind of reservations.
all reports to- the contrary notwith-
standing.
The situation has changed and shift
ed so often and SO perversely that
predictions become a joke, forecasts
a waste of words. There has been
much talk, and comparatively little
action. William Jennings Bryan may
continue 20 urge Democratic accep-
tance of the Lodge reservations. He
has apparently made little impression
on the hide-bound administration SEN
ators who are still following the lead
ership Of Senator Hitchcock, Of Ne
braska.
The plain truth is Mr.. Hitchcock
and his followers have shown no real
disposition to accept the Lodge re-
servations, even with notifications in
phraseology which would not destroy
the basic American principles they in
volve. They are accused by Republi-
can senators of trying to shift the re-
sponsibility for the failure of the SEN
ate to ratify the treaty. They assum-
ed that responsibility when they re-
jected the Lodge reservations origi-
nally, and now they are expressing
willingness to accep. them provided
Mr.. Lodge and his colleagues will
agree to notifications which would
render the reservations innocuous.
This Mr.. Lodge refuses to do, and
enough Republican senators are pledg-
ed to oppose any material change In
the reservations to prevent ratif1ca-
ton.