Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-03-07
new Hope Seen
FOR TREATY IN
HUGHES RETURN
Adherents Welcome Return
of Secretary-None Too
Soon, They Say
DEFENSIVE DRIVE
Senator'S New. Wadsworth and Other
Administration Supporters Advocate
Ratification of Pact.

Washington, March 7.-Socretary
Hughes returned to Washington last
night from his vacation in Bermuda
in time to step squarely into as serious
= crisis in the fight for the ratification
Of the Four Power pact as most OF
those he faced in The Disarmament
! Conference.
Mr.. Hughes absence mad weakened
the Administration in its defense of
! the treaty. His presence now may
mark Il change from the hcsitant pol
icy that has been followed in the last
few weeks. He comes more 100 soon.
have been watching the fight over the
treaty, Cor ii is generally agreed that
opponents have been gradually and
steadily forcing it nearer and nearer
the danger lines.
Yesterday friends Of the Admins
tration started the defensive cam
paign tha was outlined few days
ago with speech by Senator New,
Of Indiana, one Of the wheel horses
Of the Harding forces. He is 10 be
followed quickly by Senator Kellogg,
Senator WadSworth and others, and
It IS stated that very shortly Senators
Lodge and Underwood. members of
the American delegation to the Con-
ference, will deliver set arguments
for the treaty.
Help has come from other quarters,
,,1
dependent newspapers having urged
ratification of the treaty and num-
her of prominent individuals in the
Democratic party having added their
voice stn the pleas, Their arguments.
I like those of the Administration
|spokcsmen, turn largely upon the con-
tentions that without the l-Power
I pact the situation in the Pacific will be
as it was before thc Disarmament
Conference. The Anglo-Japanese pact
vii! DC ii existence, and naval rcduc-
tions viii! be hazardous
To that they add vehement protes-
tations. that the -Four Power pact, as
framed, does net by any implication
commit the United States to the use of
armed forces They hold that TO be
demonstrated by the language Of the
treaty and by the expressions Of Pres
idcnt Harding and Senator Lodge as
to wnat the treaty mcans-eypres-
SonS, they say, that must be taken as
authoritative, not only here but in the
other nations concerned. They have
gore further, accepting the Brande-
gee reservation.
But all of that has not put the
treaty on safe ground. The treaty
seems TO have beer moving steadily
nearer unsafe ground even while the
arguments were being made and the
reservation was bcing accepted. What
has been needed by th Administration,
it is thought in some quarters, has
been different sort Of gcncralship.
Not only arguments and Il Willingness
to listen to the views Of men like Sena-
tor Brandcgee. hut bold and affirma-
.iTc policy that will mold the public
opinion of INC country IS believed to be
necessary.
There is little doubt that Mr..
Hughes is the best bet OF the Admin
istration in that respect. Neither the
President nor Senator Lodge has risen
to the situation. The former is not
intimately familiar with ali the facts
CT the treaty, and. in addition, is not
tompcramcntaiiy fitted to deliver bold
and arresting strokes.
Mr.. Lodge has hccn butretcd about
fairly consistently IN the treaty situ-
alton since ne made the speech sub
m;ttin% the pact to the Conference.
and talked at length about the beauty
of the islands in the Pacific, but failed
20 state the important fact that the
homeland of Japan was covered
which subsequently was changed by
supplement adopted by The Confer
cncc
Mr.. Hughes, AZ able n lawyer as
any involved in the treaty debate and
upon occasion 4 daring nan, probably
will now become the real gcncralissimo
of The fight for the treaty, and possibly
turn the tide. One Of the facts in the
situation with which he must deal is
that arising from the Hitchcock rcso-
luton. calling for all data bearing on
the process of framing the treaty.
There appears to be none. The treaty
was evolved, it seems. largely through
conversations an dverbal exchanges OF
views.