New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-03

A resolution calling on the State De-
partment to furnish the complete text
was offered and bitter wrangle COW
Paris ensued. In the beginning of
June it developed. that the complete
text of the treaty had been brought into
this country by private interests and
several Senators saw the copies. Sena-
tor Hitchcock introduced resolution
calling for an investigation of the
treaty leak and Senator Borah read the
text Of the treaty into the Con-
gressional Record.
Shantung Provision Assailed
President Wilson arrived home from
his second trip to Paris July and
announced that he would be glad to
discuss any phase of the treaty situa-
ton with any committee of either
house. On July 10 the President went
to the Capitol and officially laid the
treaty before the Senate and two days
later the Republican members Of the
Foreign Relations Committee laid their
plans for their fight on the treaty.
Senator Swanson, of Virginia, deliv-
cred the keynote address to the Dem
ocrats on July IA and the next day
Senator Lodge opened the fight for
the treaty opponents with an attack on
the Shantung provision. Following
the Lodge speech, the President in
vited Republican Senators to the White
House for conference on the treaty,
but the Senators declined the invita-
ton and the President began a series
OF separate conferences, inviting the
members of the Senate to the White
House one at time for brief inter
views.
The Republican Senator's informed
the President that they would insist
on reservations to the treaty, and the
President, in face of determined OPP
position, let it be known that he would
accept clarifying interpretations"
Before the end of July former Senator
Root, former President Taft and for
mer Justice Charles E. Hughes had
suggested reservations to the Senate
and the opponents of the treaty had
divided into mild reservationists" and
"irreconcilables."
Amendments Adopted by Committee.
On July 81 the Senate Foreign Re-
lations Committee began its hearings
on the treaty and the mild reserva-
tionists" Immediately laid their sug-
gestions before the committee. Before
the hearings had gone very far SEN
ator Lodge accused the President of
holding up information the committee
had requested as necessary to its con-
sideration of the treaty. The Presi-
dent retorted that he could not re-
veal the secrets of the peace con-
ference at Paris, but conference
with the members of the committee
was held at the white House Au-
gust 10.
The next day the opponents of the
treaty defeated the "mild reservations"
in the committee and a couple of days
later forced the adoption of an amend
ment to the Shantung provision. Six
days afterward the committee adopted
three amendments proposing to equal
lze the British voting Euwer in the
League of Nations.
President Wilson had threatened a
speaking tour of the country to force
the Senate by pressure from the peo-
vations or amendments. He began his
tour september 3, and Senators Borah
Johnson, of California, and Reed start
ed on his trail to argue against the
treaty and the League of Nations, and
on September 10 the Foreign Relations
Committee reported the areaty to the
Senate with forty-five proposed amend
ments and four reservations. Many
other proposals for amendments or res
ervations were brought in by various
Senators.
Treaty Fight to the Floor
The treaty fight began on the floor
of the Senate September Is in open
session. this being the first time a
treaty had been considered by the SEN
ate IN open session. The thirty-fiye
Fall amendments to the treaty We're de-
1eated On October 2, and on October
- the Johnson amendment, giving the
United States an equal vote with Great
Britain in the League of Nations, was
defeated. The Shantung amendments
were defeated October 16.
Meanwhile the Foreign Relations
committee was considering a set of
reservations to take the place of the
defeated recommendations. This pro-
gram, called the Lodge program, con-
listed of fifteen reservations, including
preamble. The Lodge program was
Introduced in the Senate ON November
I, when the preamble and the first
reservation were adopted. The third
reservation was adopted the next day,
md on November Is, after cloture had
,een introduced, ten more reservations
we're adopted. The last two of the
program of fifteen reservations were
adopted November is, Vice President
iarshall declared the peace treaty
losed TO amendments and the Senate