The Newark journal., 1922-03-23
Four-Power Pacific Treaty to Be Ratified by Senate Unless
 All Signs Fail.
MARGIN AT LEAST FIVE VOTES
Allied Preparations Commission De- clines to Pay Bill for American Ex- penses on Rhine-Fighting in South Africa-Inda in
 Ferment.
By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN

THE four-power Pacific treaty, 1t
 was asserted last week, would be ratified by the senate. unless all signs should fail. A margin of at least five votes was predicted. It follows that the other six pacts of the armament conference will be approved as a mat ter of course, if the treaty is ratified. An agreement to vote was reached Wednesday. It was farther agreed to take no more votes on amendments or reservations before the final vote. and to limit debate. It looked last week as if Senator Underwood, minority leader. would come across with at least eleven votes, instead of the eight he was expected to deliver.
 Early in the assault on the treaty came the charges that the treaty had been framed by the British and Japa- nese; that secret negotiations had been concealed, and that the American dele gates had been imposed upon. Secre- tary of State Hughes thereupon stated that he wrote the treaty, that there was no mystery about the treaty and
 
 modest about it and he was plain spoken. His statement was made in the form of letter to Senator Under wood of Alabama, one of the four American delegates, who as minority senate leader is charged with the onerous job of delivering enough Democratic votes to assure the ratifica- tion of the treaty. Secretary Hughes said, among other things:
 ''The treaty itself is very short and simple. and is perfectly clear It re- quires no commentary. It's engage ments are easily understood, and no ingenuity in argument or hostile eriti- cism can add to them or make them other or greater than its unequivocal language sets forth. There are no secret notes or understandings.
 "In view of this. the question of authorship is unimportant. It was signed by four powers, whose dele gates, respectively. adopted it, all hay ing made various suggestions. l may say, however, with respect to the gen eral course Of negotiations that after assent had beer given by Great Britain and Japan that France should be a party to the agreement, l prepared a draft of the treaty based upon the various suggestions which had been exchanged between the delegates. .. | should add that, in order to avoid any misunderstanding I prepared memo randum to accompany the treaty with aAea f1 -aIa N1 %h mandated islands and reserving 1 domestic questions.
 At this stage. while 1t was not strictly conference matter, In order | to insure publicity at the earliest pos | sible moment, the treaty, as thus agreed upon, and before it had been | signed. was presented by Senator Lodge to the conference In plenary session and It's import and limitations | stated. His statement met with the I acquescence of all.
 l There Is not the slightest mystery | about the treaty or basis for suspicion | regarding if. It Is straightforward document which attains one of the | most important objects the American | government has had in view, and Is | of the highest importance to the main | tenance of friendly relations in the | Far East upon sound basis. As the President recently said. in his com | munication to the senate, 1t is an es- sential part of the plan to create con ditions in the Far East at once favor able to the maintenance of the policies we have long advocated and to an en-