Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-28
WAY NOW CLEARED
FOR SENATE DEBATE
ON ARMS TREATIES
Four-Power Pact Is Favor
ably Reported With BIan-
ket Reservation = Yap
Pact Vote Soon y.

|. WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.-Finally
accepting a compromise reserva-
ton program, the foreign relations
committee cleared the way today Tor
transfer of the arms conference
treaty debate to the open senate.
The four-power Pacific treaty,
which has proved the most trouble
some of the arms conference agree
ments in committee discussions, was
| ordered favorably reported, with
blanket reservation drawn by COM
| mittee members after session with
President Harding.
At the same time the committee
acted favorably on the naval limlta-
! ton and submarine treaties, voting
virtually without debate and with
the understanding that members
could further present their views on
the senate floor. -
Only the general Far Eastern and
Chinese tariff pacts now remain on
the committee calendar, and it is
the hope of senate leaders to bring
the whole group Of treaties into the
senate proper early next week so
that debate on them can begin as
soon as vote is reached on the
separate treaty relating to zap.
Around the zap treaty, meantime,
a situation developed today that
prompted the majority managers to
charge that debate had been need
lessly prolonged, and to announce
their intention to hold the senate in
session throughout Monday evening
| unless a ratification roll call is
reached before that time curtailment
of unnecessary. discussion" An eff
| fort to obtain unanimous consent for
a vote Monday failed.
In making a favorable report on
the four-power Pacific treaty, which
is to follow the zap treaty in debate,
the foreign relations committee di-
vided' ten to three, with Senators
Borah, Republican, Idaho; Johnson,
Republican, California, and Shields,
Democrat, Tennessee, voting in the
negative. All the other eight Re.
publican members supported the mo-
ton and were joined by two Demo
Gratis, Williams, Of Mississippi, and
Pomerene, of Ohio; while three Dem
ocrats were absent.
BY the same vote. ten to three,
but with Senators Williams, Pome.
rene. and Kellogg. Republican, Min
nesota, casting the negative votes,
the committee previously had accept
ed the compromise reservation said
to have been accepted by President
Harding, and providing that the
treaty contemplates mo commit
ment to armed force, no alliance, no
obligations to join in any Defense"
tSeveral proposed substitutes and
amendments were voted down.
The treaty's accompanying "dec-
laration" was approved by the same
vote, and the supplemental treaty
excluding the Japanese homeland
from the ,four-power arrangement
was ordered reported, twelve to one,
Senator Borah alone voting in the
negative. The naval limitation and
Submarine pacts were given ap-
prevail by unanimous votes.
In the senate, the four-power
treaty alone apparently faces pro-
1onged debate. Several proposed. res
erVations not acted on by the COM
mittee are to be Offered, and Sena-
tors Borah and Johnson, among. 9TH
ers,, are attempting to organize an
"irreconcilable" bloc against ratifi-
cation. Whether this element will
become numerically strong is con-
ceded to rest principally with the
Democrats who are followers of for
mer President Wilson, but so far
they have not indicated their prob.
able course.
Some opposition is expected to the
naval limitation and other treaties
ordered reported today, but appar-
emily there is no disposition to make
a protracted fight against them
The general Far Eastern and Chi
nese tariff treaties have not yet
developed a definite cleavage. They
are to be taken up at Mondays
meeting of the committee and Sen
ator Lodge, Of Massachusetts,, the
committee chairman, has invited
Senator Underwood, of Alabama,
Democratic leader and head of the
| arms conference commission, which
| framed the tariff pact, to be pres
ent. He is not a member of the COM
mittee.
Decision of the Republican lead
ers to hold the senate in session
| Monday evening was reached after
Senator France, Republican, Mary
| land, had made a three-hour speech
against ratification and had indi-
Gated that he intended to go on Mon
day morning. He told the senate he
was speaking virtually without prep.
aration, and had taken the floor
only when he had learned that
| Chairman Lodge was preparing to
force the treaty to a vote without
proper discussion" Other senators,
he said, wanted to oppose ratifica-
ton, but had not had time to pre-,
| pare their speeches since the treaty
was reported last Monday.
Several sharp clashes ensued be-
tween Senator Lodge and the Mary
land senator, the former denying
that there was any effort to force
action and charging in return that
the debate was being needlessly pro-
longed. Mr.. Lodge suggested that he
would like to obtain unanimous con-
sent for a vote Monday, but Senator
France replied that such an ar
rangement probably would be very
difficult to reach.
Along with TIE other arms con-
ference agreements, the zap treaty
was assailed by Senator France as a
surrender of American policies and
traditions and a part of a scheme
to rehabilitate 1.-The old league of
nations in new form" He declared
the zap covenant would sacrifice
important rights in the mandate is
lands of the Pacific, and asserted
that by giving it support, the Re-
Y1I1INIi ~ n no rfv had caa Sed to he w0r.