Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-14
ALABAMA SENATOR
DEFENDS TREATY
AGAINST ENEMIES
Underwood Presents Letter
From Hughes Denying ALI
ance Takes Place of An
gIo-Jap Pact

WASHINGTON, March 12.-The
four-power Pacific treaty, its pur-
poses and possibilities, and the man.
ner of it's negotiation, passed
through another spectacular COM
bat of argument and oratory
on the floor of the senate.
Throughout the battle of wits, the
burden Of defense was carried by
Senator Underwood, Of Alabama, the
Democratic floor leader and a mem
Der of the American delegation to
the arms conference. hinged by en-
emies of the treaty, largely of his
own party, the minority leader stood
for three hours in his place in the
center of the chamber and replied
in kind to the thrusts directed at
him.
Among the weapons of argument
used by the Alabama senator was
a letter written to him by Secretary
Hughes, head Of the American con-
ference plenipotentiaries replying to
charges that the treaty resulted from
a British-Japanese plan to allay the
embarrassment of the Anglo-Japa-
nese alliance. Mr.. Hughes asserted
that he himself had n~cpared a draft
of the treaty after consultation with
the other delegates and that with mi.
nor changes; it became the final text
as signed and submitted to the sem
ate for ratification.
The state department secretary
further declared there was mot the
slightest mystery about the treaty
or basis of suspicion about it." He
described it as "a straightforward
document which attains one of the
most important obje< the Ameri-
can government has had in view OF
the highest Importance to the main
tenance of friendly relations in the
Far East upon sound basis"
Would Be Calamity
"In view of this and in view Of
the relations of this treaty to the
results of the conference" conclud-
ed Mr.. Hughes, "its failure would
be nothing short Of national ca
lamity."
The argumentative duel, which
followed the reading by Senator
Underwood of the secretary's letter,
and which interposed itself In the
senator's prepared address. was
fought for an hour between the
speaker and Senator Robinson, DEM
crat. Arkansas, who originally had
raised the question Of the origin OF
the treaty and who declared that
the secretary's letter had not dis
pelled evidences that the four-power
y arfaf1generit was inspired from
London and Toxic. Other Dennos
Gratis their joined IN the question Of
their party leaders including Sena-
tors Reed. of Missouri: Glass, OF
Virginia; Walsh, of Montana, and
Watson, of Georgia. From the Re
publican side. of the chamber their
efforts were seconded by Senators
Borah, of Idaho and France, of
Maryland.
His support of the treaty, Sena-
tor Underwood said, was actuated
by the same spirit that prompted
hi INTO vote for the treaty of YER
sailles, with it's league of nations.
He declared no alliance, was contem-
plated, but added that he could see
no objection even to an alliance it
it were based on arbitration, rather
than force. and effaced dangers that
threaten American interests in the
Pacific. To reject the pact be-
cause it does not bind the signato-
ries to employ force. he asserted,
would be to revert to the reaction
airy philosophy of the past.
Negotiations Secret
The Democratic leader conceded
that the negotiations leading up to
the treaty were carried on in "se-
crecy," but argued that such a
course was necessary, in view of
the peculiar circumstances sur
rounding the effort of the American
delegation to rid the world of the
Anglo-Japanese alliance. In the
main, he said, the arms conference
was conducted more openly than
any similar consultation in the his
tory of the world.
Senator Robinson insisted, in turn,
that the provision for consultation
among the signatories to agree on
a course of action in case of aggres-
sion by an Outside power" could
mean only that the force of all four
was to be united against the ag-
gressor. When any such consulta-
ton took place, he argued, and any
one power signified that it was not
able to meet the attack alone, the
only means the others could suggest
was united action. He asked that
Mr.. Hughes now inform the senate
why he had remained silent so long
as to the method by which the
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