Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-02-24
CLAIM DEMOCRATS
 READY TO DESERT
 WILSON ON TREATY

tConllnued from fage U.
 the party leaders are sure now of the suppore of only 30. That leaves 34 to be delivered by the democrats. a dozen more than the figure which represented the peak of republican claims today.
 on their side, the plan of the re- publican leaders is to first clear away collateral issues of the treaty disagreement when the subject comes again before the senate, probably to- morrow. The next reservation to be considered in the revision being undertaken on the senate floor is the troublesome qualification of article 10, against which the president has directed his principal criticism; but the republicans expect to ask that it be laid aside until all the others have been acted on.
 Many Contingencies
 Meantime, it is pointed out, a democratic caucus may have develop ed the real strength of the move ment among democratic senators to break away from past policy of re- sistance and put the treaty through, Should a majority of the 47 demo- crats vote in the caucus to make such a move, it is expected by the re- publicans that the effect would be to
 brlng over the votes needed for ratification.
 In these calculations however, neither side loses sight of the possi- bllity that while the president may If an unacceptable ratification inn bends, withdraw the treaty from senate consideration. He might take the latter course, it is sug. gested, to express at the samee time his displeasure with the senate re- servations and his unwillingness ss to have the nation become party on any terms in the Adriatic settlement
 Neither is it concealed that broad questions of party policy are in- volved in the problem of ratification. now generally admitted by leaders to have been thrust into the political campaign. Privately, the senators pressing for acceptance of the re. publican reservations confess, them selves out of accord with the Presi- dents Jackson Day declaration for "a solemn referendum" and they are seeking to dissociate senate demo- crats from any appearance of en- dorsing that proposal.
 To Blanc Wilson.
 In the caucus, therefore this group is prepared to plead that the treaty be ratified on the republican specifications, so that the president if he then chooses to regard the sem ate's action as a rejection and to pocket the treaty, may have upon his own shoulders the burden of a decis- ion which they do not believe will be popular with the country. With sem ate democrats going one way and a democratic president another, they believe that democratic national convention will feel itself free from any cut and dried program when itI comes to deal with the subject
 The administrations staunch sup porters in the senate, however, are not fearful that these counsels will prevail. They indicated tonight that if any considerable of democrats wanted al caucus, one would be called. But they Haunted the suggestion that itI might throw over the presidents advisors or show majority against the past and present party stand on reservations.
 Among the republicans it was said that the caucus proposal apparently had grown out of stiffening in the republican ranks which in turn re- suited from action of the senate when the irreconcilable 1 opponents of ratification seized the l balance of power and used it to prevent any modification of the re- publican reservations. It was argued | he mild reservations republicans 1 were shown that modification in the interests of compromise would be and that the whole reser- ration group, including article 10 must stand or fall together.
 Bearing out this contention, mild who heretofore have predicted the article 10 provision could be modified if necessary, said ,oday that the only chance of ratifi- ,ation now seemed to rest in the l possibility that enough democrats would accept provision without :hange.
 Who initiated the movement for get-together conferencel vas not apparent but the move was