Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-03-14
PACIFIC TREATY:
GOES TO VOTE
IN THE; SENATE
Agreement Reached to Vote
on Amendment to d
Power Treaty
PACT IS ATTACKED
Johnson and Borah Are the Leaders,
Call Treaty National Surrender"
and Breeder of Wars.

Washington, March 14.--Oppo-
nents OF the Four-Power Pacific
treaty loosed ANOTHER series OF
br0adsides against the pact yester-
day in the Senate, but slackened
their onslaught just before adjourn
ment tc accept a unanimous consent
agreement for Il vote today on the
first of the proposed amendments.
Senators Johnson, California, and
borah, Of Idaho, both Republicans,
took the lead in the all-day attack,
the former declaring ratification of
the treaty would be national sur
render" under 4 threat of danger
and the latter asserting that the pro-
posed !'aur-Power arrangement
would transfer to the aPcifc the old
balance Of nower system that has
dominated Europe for centuries.
A question as to the authorship of
tn" treaty and its supplemental agree
mcnts again was raised during the de-
bate, Mr.. Rorah asserting that despite
Sccrctar: Hughes letter accepting re-
Sponsibiiity for final drafts there
seems 10 be the most conclusive proof
that somebody else wrote the treaty.
The amendment on which il was
agreed 10 vote at / p. M. tomorrow was
proposed by Senator Robinson. Dcmo-
crat, Arkansas. and will be the first
issue Of the Four-Power treaty fight
to come to a roll call. As modified to-
day by Mr.. ltobinson, il provides that
the rights Of nations, both in and cut
Of the Four-Power group. are to be
respected, and that non-signatory as
well as signatory nations shall he in
Vjted to any conference held 10 con-
side controversies affecting their in
s,llar interests in the Pacific "or any
Far Eastern question"
Administration leaders declared to- !
night they had sufficient votes to de-
feat the amendment, which has been
touched on very little in the debate
during the several days that it has
been technically before the Senate.
Senator Robinson made short speech
today favoring its adoption in the in
tercSt, he said. of fair play for Russia.
China and either non-signatory ma
tons and Senator Lcnroot. Repub-
'ican. Wisconsin. argued against il on
the ground that it would impose blan-
ket obligations going even beyond the
League Of Nations covenant.
Senator .JohnSon'S address of more
than two hours was directed, largely,
against the declaration Of the treaty's
supporters that its chief benefit lay in
the provision abrogating the Anglo
japanese Alliance. If solemn assur-
ances of Great Britain and Japan re-
garding the purposes of the Alliance
were to be credited, he said, then it
contained no menace tn the United
States, while if these assurances were
to be regarded as false. then this
Government should hot 90 into part
nerShin with nations which had
pracrlccd deception.
The Forr-Pcwcr agreement, said
Senator Johnson, would amount to an
alliance" and would impose obIiga-
tionS not dissimilar from those Of the
Lcagu" Covenant. The chiet differ
Cncc between the new treaty and the
League, he declared. seemed to be
Democratic label
Senator Borah, in turn, likcned the
treaty to the Triple Entente Of Eu-
rope. which, he said, did rot bind
Great Britain and Russia to 90 to the
aid Of France in 1914. but ncverthe-
icSs resulted in concerted action by
all the Entnctc powers. The Four
Power treaty might not impose any
legal obligation on Congress to declare
war, he asserted. but it provided for
4 conference which might easily re-
suit in moral obligation which
Congress could not escape.
The treaty. Senator Borah pointed
out, did not limit the means 10 be
considered jointly by the four powers
to ''paciIic means" hut left the door
omen for the conference to decide on
action. He predicted that
formation Of the Four-Power group
would lead tn The establishment of
counter group" and eventually 30 n
war between The two rival "ombina-
tions thus placed in the field.
Just before The senate accented the
uiarimDuS consent agreement, which
was proposed by Senator Swanson,
Democrat. Virginia, Senator Reed,
Democrat, Missouri, assaied Rcpubli-
cans who formerly had opposed the
Versailles treaty but now support
the Four-Powcr treaty, declaring they
were ready To- take medicine handed
us in Il spoon held By Republi lean
President" although they had refused
il whcn It cane from Democrat