The Washington times., 1922-03-03
LODGE DODG|NG
REAL CLASH IN
TREATY BATTLE
Senate Leaders Policy Of Dis
Greet Silence on Pact Secrets
Iniuring Chances.
BY POLIrICUS.

Senator Lodge has opened the
Senatorial battle for the four-power
alliance by lodging It. Although
he is In charge of the treaty, as
one of its signers and as chairman
of the Foreign Relations Commit
tee, he has declined to explain the
document to the Senate or to make
any argument in It's behalf. Appar-
entity he is afraid to discuss the So
| cret treaty negotiations. II he can
live up to his plan. ne will not
speak until the opponents to the
treaty have exhausted their am
munition.
1t is a peculiar position for the
leader of such a battle. II pres
ent Indications count for anything
the refusal of the Massachusetts
Senator to come out into the open
with his arguments will help to de-
feat the treaty. The opponents Of
this four-power alliance showed
more optimism today than they had
evinced since the overwhelming ma
jority of treaty supporters In the
Foreign Relations Committee forced
report without permitting the
| taking of testimony.
Poll Of Senate Futile.
Efforts to poll the Senate are fu-
tile. The sterotyped answer from
many of the Senators is: II don't
know how am going to vote.
There were Indications, however.
that the twelve Democrats whom
Senator Underwood had been able
to muster for the zap treaty will
dwindle considerably in the four
y-I.
wood seems certain only Of approx
imately six of his colleagues, and
the debating has barely begun.
1t will always be a question
whether the result would have been
changed II Senator Lodge had dared
to take the initiative in the pres
ent fight. There Is no question,
however. that his deliberate
avoidance OF the first advo-
cacy of the treaty has weakened
the Senate proponents. There is
considerable doubt whether Senator
Lodge will be able to maintain long
his present policy Of declining to
enlighten the Senate. The OPP
ponents Of the treaty probably will
prod him from time to time for de-
negotiations which resulted in the
treaty signed by himself and Sena-
| tor Underwood.
Lodge Has Hard Task.
1t may not have been difficult for
Messrs. Balfour. Kato and Hughes
to induce the American delegates
to sign the four-power treaty on
I the dotted line. But II will be a far
harder task for Senators Lodge and
] Underwood to induce the American
Senate to ratify ION the dotted
line"
AS a result, it is likely that both
Senators Lodge and Underwood will
have a lot OF uncomfortable hours in
the Senate debates. Their fellow
Senators are planning a lombard
ment Of questions concerning the
methods by which the treaty was
drawn and the secret proceedings
which President Harding has refused
to divulge.
Senator Lodges strategy Of silence
may also help to prolong the fight.
He cannot easily ask the Senate to
stop the debate until II has had an
opportunity to discuss, not only the
treaty, but his apology for II. The
result is that. after the Senate has
exhausted a couple of weeks in an
endeavor to induce Senator Lodge to
speak, the opposition Senators are
likely to indulge in a few extra weeks
Of oratory to tear down the Lodge
explanation. This IL the more like
| to be true II the Senator from Massa
chusetts INDUCES in the same poetic
disquisition with which he enter
tanned the arms conference when he
presented the four-power treaty.
Very Little Fireworks.
SO far, the debate has had little
fireworks. They are coming. The
discussion of the zap treaty was list.
less and befuddling. The discussion
Of the four-power treaty threatens to
lbe dramatic and explosive. II is the
hope Of the Senators who oppose the
treaty that they can make the fight
dramatic enough to end the public
apathy.
II do not intend to support treaty
that leads US directly to a more ter.
rible war" exclaimed Senator France
OF Maryland. In the opening debate.
"If the Senate had taken pains to in.
form itself as to conditions in Russia.
II would never have consented to this
treaty. There is no question in the
world that the attitude Of the Rus.
sian people toward the Japanese Is
such a. TO make war inevitable"
II Senators Lodge and Underwood
succeed, the United States will have
to consult with Japan on the most
efficient measures" to fight the Rus.
slams. whom Japan has robber.
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