The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-18
SHERMAN SAYS
AC. BLOC WINS
FARMER FAITH
s0uposes Group Legislation Form.
er Senator Says, @But Favors
This; Pact Apathy.
Washington News Bureau
Rock Island Argus

mans interview on the situation in
congress full of lively interest to
his former colleagues here and IL
Iinoisans whom he represented in
the senate until a year ago this
month.
The senator was a picturesque
figure on the floor of the senate
chamber nearly all week, chatting
with old friends and listening with
evident interest to the warm de-
bate over the four-power treaty.
II shall never hold public office
again" Senator Sherman began his
comment to newspaper men who
approached him in the lobby. What
| may say is therefore without any
official authority. but on the other
hand it has the merit of being per-
fectly frank and disinterested.
an the past few months l have
been all over the middle west and
the west and believe 1 am CONVEX
SAINT with what the people are
thinking. l have found widespread
dissatisfaction among the agricul-
tural population, but l think with
prices improving that situation is
deal of criticism that this has been
a do nothing congress, and while
/ am not in sympathy with that
view, undoubtedly there will be
reduction IN the majority in the
house next fall, and 1 expect two
or three Democrats to return from
normally Democratic districts in
down-state Illinois.
Approves Bloc.
at may surprise you for me to
say so, but l must confess that l
have not much criticism for the
socalled agricultural bloc | am
rated generally as a pretty conser-
vative individual and l am opposed
in principle and practice to group
legislation. On the other hand,
there is no question that some OF
the farm measures enacted at this
congress have done much to en-
courage the farmers of the country,
and generally speaking l have no
doubt that the so-called farm bloc
has contributed largely to this re-
suit"
The senator declared that in his
Judgment the tariff question should
be promptly disposed of and that
the settlement of that issue would
clear up much uncertainty among
business men and manufa cturerS. -
AS one of the ''irreconcilabIe" OPP
ponents of the League of Nations
covenant when he was in the sem
ate, the senator's views on the
four-power pact carried particular
interest
IF l were now in the senate, 1
would vote to ratify this four
power treaty" he stated.
Some of the opposition to the
treaty is based on the argument
that the pact is only a diluted sub
stitute for the Leauge of Nations.
Pact Respects Sovereignty.
But there is a radical difference
between the two documents This
is a treaty concluded between SOW
ereign powers, involving no impair
ment of any nations sovereignty.
The League of Nations covenant,
in my opinion, created a super-sov-
ereignty, a new world power. Those
nations subscribing to it rendered
themselves subject to it.
The Pacific ocean, l believe, will
be the source of our future danger.
Seward once said that the Pacific
ought to be made a great American
lake. but that can not be done.
Under present conditions, it ap-
pears a wise policy to me to rati-
fy the four-power treaty and pre-
vent the renewal of the Anglo-Jap-
anese alliance. With that alliance
removed and these treaties substi-
tuted, there will be peace in the
world tranquility than We have en-
Ioyed since the treaty of Vienna"
Senator Sherman left Washing
ton Saturday to join his mother-in-
law. Mrs. Mary Z. Splitter, and
daughter. Virginia, in Florida.
The offices of both Senators Nc
Cormick and Mckinley reflected an
unusual apathy on the part of
down-state Illinois sections on the
four-power treaty debate which has
ben under way in the senate for
the past two weeks.
While both senators have been
fairly deluged with kilograms and
petitions for and against the pend
ing tariff and bonus bills, less than
been received from any down-state
city on the treaty question
Senator Mccormick declared this
week that he has been "astonished"
by the absence of letters and tele-
grams from Illinois and said that
he was unable to understand the
apparent lack of public interest in
the debate" in the senate.
Both Illinois senators in the pre-
lminary roll-caIls on the treaty
This week stood with Senator Lodge
and the other leaders for ratifica-
ton. without substantial reserva-
tons.
Senator Mccormick indicated that
ne will participate further in the
debate before the final vote is TAX
en- but it is not expected that he
viii change his position. He lis
tened attentively this week while
Senator's Borah and Johnson, his
former associates in the "irreconsIl-
able ranks. attacked the treaty
and compared it to the league COW
enant, but he was not apparently
won over from the administration
camp.
As the Illinois member of the
house ways and means committee,
representative Ira c. Copley, Au-
FORA, voted this week with Chair
man Fordney and a majority of the
committee to report the new bonus
oil to the house.
Attacks on the proposed certifi-
cate plan of paying the bonus were
delivered during the week by Sec