The Washington times., 1922-03-11
TREATYDEFEAT
THREATENED AS
/. FOES|NCREAsE
Proponents Hopes Of Triumph
ant Ratification DwindIe.
Stiff Fight in Prospect.
BY POLITICUs.

BY POLITICUS.
The Four-Power aliiances 10 slip
ping. The fight against It has gain
ed such momentum In the last two
days that pro-reaty Senators are
alarmed. The Senate debates have re-
vealed q startling weakness on the
part of the defenders of the treaty
and Senator Lodges fatuous hopes
Of a speedy apd triumphant rattfi-
cation have been dashed to pieces.
The treaty proponents now consider
themselves fortunate II they can win
by q vote or two.
The opposition Senators, however,
show no Indications Of letting up on
the fight. There was q lull In the
treaty debates yesterday, but the
coming week promises to see a re-
sumption OF, the vigorous attacks.
Apparently the Senators who are de-
Tending the treaty are planning to
do 30 silently. as only a few speech
es in its support are now scheduled.
Seek To Learn Origin.
At times It seems as though Sena-
tor Lodge had almost abdicated the
leadership Of the fight and the at
tacks upon the treaty go unan.
swered. No one knows how long
Senator Lodge can keep this up. The
attacks upon his position are be-
coming more persistent and more
bitter. Senator Underwood has
made no effort to help him on the
floor. Even more Important, the de-
mand for honest. first-hand infor-
nation as to the exact authorship
Of the treaty and the negotiations
surrounding 1t Is growing. 1t Is like
ly that much of next weeks debates
viii center around the attempt of
Senators Robinson, Reed. Borah, and
johnson to force Secretary Hughes
TO reveal the secrets of this strange
treaty making. So far. Secretary
Hughes has tried to brush this de-
mand aside. but the opposition Sena-
tors are In earnest
So narrow Is the margin between
victory and defeat that both sides are
still trying to obtain individual votes.
Just now, the advantage lies with
the opposition to the treaty. Two Of
the Senators who favor the treaty
cannot vote-Senator Owen, who Is
in Europe. and Senator Crow, who Is
i'll. This means that only thirty-two
votes are necessary to insure the
treaty's defeat. At least twenty.six
Democrats are reported opposing the
treaty. With Senator's johnson,
Borah, La Toilette. and France
pledged against IL, only two further
votes against II will Ne necessary.
Both sides are making their ap-
peal on claims of party regularity.
The opposition of former President
Wilson to the treaty has done much
to stiffen up the Democratic oppon-
ents and to bring wavering members
into line. On the Republican side,
this claim Of party regularity has, 30
far. held such ,irreconcilables as Sen
ators Brandegee. Mccormick and
Moses among the treaty supporters.
Signed Away Interests.
The Senate had but few minutes
of treaty debate yesterday. But that
was sufficient to enable Senator
Lodge to make another exhibition
of the careless way In which the
American delegates signed away the
interests of the United States.
Senator Lodge had told the Senate
that under the naval treaty the
United States retained six $4,000
ton ships armed, with 16inch guns
and with a speed of thirty knots an
hour. He had appealed to Senator
Underwood, his treaty colleague, to
correct him IL he was wrong. Senator
Underwood acquiesed in the Lodge
statement, but IL was challenged by
Senator Reed. Thereupon Senator
Lodge brought in the figures sup
piled by the Navy Department.
These disclosed that the United
States would have no ship speedier
than twenty-one knots and only one
with 16-inch guns:
IT find that 1 was mistaken"
said the Massachusetts S~-'"tnr -
though the matter were of no mo-
ment. II was talking about the bat
tie, cruisers. They are the ships We
are TO scrap and not Il4e e....
we are to keep"
1t was a pitiful display OF the care
with which Senators Lodge and I'm
derwood had safeguarded the naval
interests of the United States. But
IL threatens to help I'm giving the
Navy Department an opportunity to
tell the Senate the truth about the
naval treaty.