The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-13

l | assembled to write a programme of political and economic reconstruction. the President declared acceptance Of the league would be nothing short of betrayal of the mandate of the No vember elections. Instead, he asked ! for a congressional declaration of l peace and for ratification of these DOT
 tions of the Versailles treaty which
 protect specifically American rights
 and interests in the war settlement
 'In the existing League of Na- [ tions, world governing with it's
 super powers, this republic will have no part" he snid. fIt Is only | fair to say to the world in gen. erai, and to our associates in war | in particular. that the league cove nant can have no sanction by us." The declaration was answered by tremendous demonstration in which re- publican senators and representatives led while most of tfleir democratic colleagues sat silent and unsmfiing After weighing the words of the chief executive, the senatorial group of treaty trreconcilables tonight were
 claiming a complete victory. predict ing that even the portions Of the treaty indorsed by MT. Harding never would receive Senate approval
 TARIFF AND TAXES In his recommendations the Presi- dent gave consideration to tariff and
 tax revision and to the railway sit
 uation, though he indorsed list of l lesser measures, which congressional leaders declared might prolong the l special session until the snow flies. lie also took occasion in his address
 of nearly an N2ur to declare his faith
 In maintained merchant marine and
 in the principal of armament reduc- ton without asking for legislation .on either subject.
 | An emergency tariff to correct se- l rious disorders in American industry was placed at the head of the Presi- | dents requests. and within an hour after he finished speaking the House
 ways and means committee agreed so l report tomorrow the emergency meas,
 ure passed at the last session and vetoed by President Wilson. For the l permanent tariff bill that Is 10 be ] framed later. MT. Harding made no i specific suggestions except that It I follow the principle Of protection Similarly, the President refrained
 from detailed recommendations on
 taxation. contenting himself with
 general discussion of the situation with
 an added reminder that his party pledged itself in the last campaign to repeal the excess profits tax. He also
 recalled the campaign promise to or-
 ganize separate government depart
 ment of public welfare, but made no recomme endation whether a cabinet of-
 ficial should be placed at it's head
 WANTS RAIL INQUIRY | Declaring that rates and operating
 expenses of the railroads must be
 lowered, MT. Harding asked that Con- 1 gress investigate the whole transpor-
 tation problem. He recommended CO.,
 ordination of all governmental agen-
 cies dealing with former service men strengthening of the federal laws af-
 fecting highway construction and
 maintenance, enactment of budget Legislation and a congressional inquiry
 into lynching and race relations in 1 general.
 MT. Harding's definite stand against
 the league covenant was not q sur
 Irise to republican leaders of the Senate, although the exact wording O.
 the decla ration was an unsettled aues- I ton until shortly before the executive
 left for the capitol to deliver his ad
 dress. The first drart of the manu-
 script was completed soon after mid
 right, and when the proof sheets came
 from the public printer this morning
 the President cancelled the regular Tuesday cabinet meeting and sum.
 moned republican members of the for eign relations committee to the White 1 House. l In conference with the committee
 members the President considered the
 foreign relations section of the address
 Tor more than an hour, hearing the advice of mild reservationists as we'll
 as irreconcilables before firally put 1 ting his manuscript into his pockei- for the ride to the capitol. Without ex- ception the senators present expressed afterward their satisfaction with the fresidents views though there was a wide divergency of views among them
 regarding the likelihood of an early
 ratification of the Versailles treaty with the league and other portions omitted
 ] MEANING NOT CLEAR It was pointed out that the treaty
 vas not now before the Senate hay. ing been returned to the White House after the second failure to ratify lt
 and that MT. Harding had shown no in-
 dieation that he means to resume it in
 the near future. In his address today
 he did not specifically declare his in- tention 10 do so, merely saying that "in preference to separate treaties with IGermany and Austria, the wiser course would seem to be the acceptance of the confirmation of our rights and inter- | ests as already provided. and to engage
 under 'the existing treaty, assuming i Of course. that this can be satisfactorily accomplished by explicit reservations,
 By some senators the words of the President were taken to mean that his
 mind still was open on the question Of
 reserved ratification, and that he mere fly suggested that course as preferable to a separate peace The point stressed oy hirn in that connection, and empha-
 sized recently in other administration quarters. was that the United States
 must find some way to reach q diplo-
 matic agreement with both Germany
 and the allies which would fully pro-
 tect such advantages as this govern
 ment gained under the unratified pact l of Versailles.
 l In his indorsement of the peace dec
 laration, the President expressed dis
 approval of the proposal of some sem
 ators to attach to the declaratory reser-
 vationl q general expression of the
 American government's policy toward | future European wars This proposal l has taken various forms, but the
 amendment most favored in recent dis
 cussion would declare that if European
 tContinued on Page Tws)