New-York tribune., 1922-03-29
Naval Covenant
Is Sure to Pass
Senate To-day
Ratification by Unanimous
Vote Predicted as Opposi.
ton 10 Disarming Pro-
gram Rapidly Dwindles
Chinese Pacts Also Safe
Lodge Champions Policy on
Floor, Questioning Fig
ures Advanced by Reed
From Ths 7rtoune's Washington Bureau

From The Trfbune's Washington Bur,nu
WASHINGTON, March 2s.-Ratifica
tlon OF the naval armament agreement
by the Senate is assured, prohablv
ny unanimous vote. On motion
OF Senator Lodge it was agreed this
afternoon to vote on the treaty and all
proposed amendments or reservations
a o'clock Wednesday afternoon. Not
only will the naval treaty be put
through, but indicat tions appeared to-
day that the opposition to the treaty
program has about wound up its leht
and 's disintegrating. 1t is the expec-
tation of Senator Lodge and other
leaders now that the Far Eastern
treaty and other treaties also will be
ratified without much delay.
The naval treaty was discussed at
length to-day, but no amendment or
reservation was proposed. Twenty of
the twenty four articles of the treaty
were read one by one and agreed to
without roll calls. 1t was agreed to
dispense with reading the others.
i%uuSc TOTlSlONg
lengthy statement by Senator
Lodge expounding the treaty was the
most important feature of the discus
sion, which continued through the
afternoon 1r n:hdiately after the
treaty was rea4! he took the floor and
explained it in detail, H went into
the circumstances OF the calling of the
Washington conference, pointing out
I ,O{ ho i l..
OF land armaments, France, through
Arstide BRAND, then Premier, held that
she could not safely reduce her land
forces and that under the circum-
stances there was nothing which the
conference could do on this subject.
The Massachusetts Senator recalled
that he always had worked for large
navy, but he said he could not fail to
recognize "the change in world rela
tions caused by the great war with
Germany" He held that the resolu
tion adopted by Congress last session
in favor of the calling of the arma-
ment conference REFLECTED the over
whelming desire of the American peo-
Britain and Japan as we'll that these
three great maritime powers should
come to some agreement by which the
burden of taxation caused by great
naval ornaments could be reduced, with
the belief of many persons that that
would promote the cause of world
peace"
Only by World Agreement
Reduction of armaments was feas-
ible, he held, only by international
agreement and not by the action of
any one nation alone. He refuted con-
tentions that the American delegates
proceeded without advice from naval
experts, saying they and the entire
conference had the best technical ad-
vice possible, but that there were no
secret reports, despite many allega
tions to the contrary. The advice OF
experts, he said in a colloquy with Sen
ator King, was taken in retaining bat
tleships rather than battle cruisers in
the American navy.
The most important thing" he said
was putting an end to naval competi-
ton" Scrapping of ships, he said, was
more spectacular, but it was the halt
ing of competition which meant relief
to the public
One of the points made by Senator
Lodge was that Japan had yielded on
the matter of ratios "only with the
greatest reluctance and only on ac-
count of the willingness Of the other
Pacific powers to put limitation on
Notifications"
He recounted the facts relating tc
the Japanese dreaonought Mutsu ano
Continued on aext pase)