The daily times., 1922-03-03
Want TREATY To
BE MORE THANA
SCRAP OF PAPER
RESERVATION ASSURED
This Reservation Will Insure
the Fact That Other Nations
Could Never Claim That the
United States Was Under
"Any Obligation to Join in
any Defense"

(By David Lawrence.)
Copyright 1922 by The Daily
Times.)
Washington, March. 2.-Senator
|Brandegee's reservation to the four
power treaty will be adopted. 1t con-
tains President Harding's exact words
in the address made the Senate on
submitting the pact. To vote down
the reservation may be construed as
an affirmation of the argument that
the four power treaty is an alliance
and obligates America to go to war.
This is the situation as the debate
on the four-power treaty begins. Rat
ification with the Brandegee reserva-
tion seems assured. Without it, there
is danger of defeat for the treaty.
The views of the most of Senators
who advocate the Brandegee reserva-
tion have been given to this CORES
pondent To understand the reasons
which actuate them, it is necessary to
study the exact text of the treaty as
well as the reservation " hich reads as
follows:
''The United States understands
that under the statement in the pre-
amble, or under the terms of this
treaty, there is no commitment to
armed force, no alliance, no obliga-
tion to join in any Defense"
First, the Senators VINO favor it
make it clear that they do not for a
moment question Mr.. Harding's in
|terpretation of the treaty but they
want his Interpretation made a part
|of the ratifying resolution itself, so
the rest of the world and future gen.
erations will not misunderstood. At
present the Interpretation is merely
an executive statement and the Sen
ate has not yet uttered it's understand
ing of the treaty.
If the Brandegee reservation is
adopted by the Senate, included in
the instrument of ratification and ex-
changed with the other powers who
S1ShOo IAS LIOdty d10 thOy oo nv ~
test that their understanding is diff
jferent, then the other nations never
could claim that the United States
was under "any obligation to join in
any defense of their rights in rela-
ton to their insular possessions and
insular dominions in the region OF
the Pacific Ocean"
| Senators who take this view say
that if the treaty without the reserva-
tion means what President Harding
claims it does there can be no valid
iobjection to letting the treaty say sc
by means of a clarifying reservation
that one of the purposes for which
the treaty is made is the "mainten
ance of their rights in relation tt
their insular possessions" in the Paci
,fic ocean. Article two says that eff tht
said rights are threatened by the
aggressive action of any other Power
the contracting parties shall commun
icate with one another to arrive a
an understanding as to the most eff
ficient measures to be taken, joint!
or separately, to meet the exigencie
of the particular situation"
Now itsis the view of many Sen
ators that when aggressive action
occurs thel elconference of powers doe
not by any means meet merely to de
|cide whether they shall take an.
measures.f They communicate onl,
Gin order to arrive at an understand
ling as to the most efficient means t.
be taken.
| On the words ''most eficienr
Imeans" thf whole thing turns. There
1.-THE rub. The Senators who feel deep
lily about this subject point out that
! lveiled obligation is in that phrase TO
Aif the aggressive action is taken by !;
Naval attack when an island in tn,
\cffic belo1 g to the British