Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1920-12-23

ma as TO what the United States
shall do about Tie Versailles treaty
and the League of Nations. The
conference will take place At the
home of the President-elect in Marion
and will begin about December 10
and run for fortnight or more. While
there has been no public announce
ment as TO the definite arrangement
for this series of conferences. the I'M
Outstanding here is that the president
elect will see two OF three men daily
until he feels that he has absorbed a
proper amount of information. Elihu
Root, former senator and former sec
rotary of state, has been invited to
be in Marion December 10 and it is
presumed that he will be the first man
consulted.
The men who are to be consulted
with respect to the treaty and the
league>divide into three groups. First
there is the group made up of so
called irreconcilables, Republicans and
Democrats, who are opposed to the
United States becoming a member of
any International league or associa-
ton. Then there is a second group
made up of men who would discard
the Versailles treaty, including the
League of Nations covenant, and at
tempt to bring the nations into some
sort of understanding looking to the
prevention of war. Finally there is
the group made up of men who be-
lieve that the United States should
90 into the existing league with proper
reservations, and once in, seek to
bring about such amendments as may
seem desirable.
Some Who Will Be Consulted.
Public men who have thus far not
been invited to confer with the Pres
ident-elect on the treaty and the
league are specializing as to the men
who will be asked out to Marion. 1t
is taken for granted that the irrecon-
cilable group will he represented by
Senators Hiram w. johnson of Cali
fOrnia, Frank B. Brandagee of Con-
necticut and William e. BOrah of
Idaho, Republicans, and James A.
Reed of Missouri, Democrat. 1t is by
no means certain that all four of
these irreconcilables will be called
into conference, but certainly this will
be the group from which Mr.. Harding
will choose. Senator Johnson will, OF
course, expect to be called into con-
ference since he has been the leader
of the irrecOncilable group.
TIyI,o,, oO,,.oc tr 1noI-;,,,r fo,. d, 1r,ioo
from men who would wipe the slate
clean and then attempt to form some
sort of an international association,
the President-elect, it is believed, viii
turn to Senators Philander C. Knox of
Pennsylvania George II. Moses of
New Hampshire and Harry S. New
of Indiana.
In making selections from the third
group, Mr. Harding will have a some
what larger company to choose frem.
There will be Elihu Root, William Fl.
Taft, Jacob Gould Schurman, Senator
Porter J. McCumber of North Dakota,
and Herbert Hoover, all Republicans,
and Senator Gilbert NJ. Hitchcock of
Nebraska, Democrat. Mr.. Taft has al
ready received his invitation to go to
Marion. He will be there a day or
two after the visit of Elihu Root.
How Does Lodge Stand?
1t will be noted that Senator Henry
Cabot Lodge, majority leader in the
senate and chairman of the foreign
relations committee, does not appear
in either one of these three groups,
and yet it is certain that lie will be
consulted. He is not assigned because
persons here who ought to know where
he stands, if anybody knows, confess
they do not know what position he
will take in his conference with the
President-elect. Most observers here
are disposed to classify Senator
Lodge with the irrecOncilables, though
it is true, of course, that at the last
session he advocated ratification with
reservations and so voted.
After the views of the three groups
have been submitted, the President
elect, so persons who know something
about his program say, win attempt to
unite the Republicans of the senate on
program. This is conceded by all
TO he big task.
The first assembly of the League of
Nations will have completed its work
before Mr.. Harding begins his CON
ferences with the representatives of
these groups. II is assumed that the
outcome of the assembly meeting will
not be without effect on the minds Of
the men who have been invited to con-
fer with the President-elect and also
on the mind of the President-elect
himself. For instance, if the meeting
of the assembly should Indicate
rather clearly that the league has
come to stay whether the United
States enters 1t or not. that fact
would naturally become an important
factor in the conferences.