Evening star., 1925-07-29
Secret Senate Poll Takes in
Proponents of Plan From
Both Parties.
MARGIN MAY BE SHAVED
TO FOUR, ADVISERS SAY
Coolidge Anticipates Hard Fight.
Pepper Is Reported Wavering on
United States Membership.
BY j. RI SSELL YOUNG.
staff Correspondent Of The Star.

SUMMER WHITE HOUSE.
SWAMPSCOTT, Mass, July 29.-It
was learned from an authoritative
source today that President Coolidge
has been confidentially advised of the
probable lineup of the United States
Senate when the question of Ameri-
can adherence to the Permanent
Court of International Justice comes
| before that body for action next De
cember.
This information has been received
at White Court within the past "a
! hours in the form of a secret poll
According to the information furnish
ed the writer today the poll shows
! that the President will have nothing
more than a numerical advantage
when the fight opens
Six-Vote Margin.
1t is shown by the poll that the
President can be confident of only
six votes to spare when the time
comes for debate to start, and since
studying the figures some of the
Executives intimates are more in
clined to figure that the total is more
/ likely to be four instead of six
These figures include all the Demo
Gratis as we'll as Republicans who are
known to be favorable to the court
proposal, evidencing the accuracy of
predictions previously made that the
contest over the court will be one of
the hardest that has been waged in
the upper branch of Congress since
the fight over the League of Nations
The President and his intimates are
represented as not reading defeat in
| these figures. On the contrary. ii is
thought that the administration has
better than a fair chance of winning,
providing vote can be forced, but
they readily recognize the necessity
/ of an agreement among the propo-
nents of the court prior to the open
/ ing up of debate. 1t is feared that
/ difference OF opinion which cannot be
reconciled will materially interfere
/ with the program OF those favorable
/ to American participation in the
/ World Court.
| President Deeply Concerned
! President Coolidge is known to be
| giving considerable thought while on
his vacation here to the coming fight
| No international problem. not even
a second Washington disarmament
conference, is commanding more of
! his attention. He, however. has said
very little about the subject since ar
! irving at White Court, but some of
/ those who are close to him in his
| moments of study and meditation in
! innate that he has been turning It
! over IN MS NINA. Also ne mas Deen
sounding out certain of his callers, in
/ his characteristic, informal and adroit
! manner. 1t is thought that he has
! been giving thought to the matter
! preparatory to a number of confer
| ences which he will hold with Senate
| leaders and other advisers and party
! leaders before the assembling of the
! Senate.
! Pepper Reported ''WabbIing'
! President Coolidges meeting with
J Senator Deneen Of Illinois, who came
] East to address the Essex County
! Republican Club at its outing in Cen
! tennial Grove, Essex, presented him
! with an opportunity to take UP the
/ question. Mr.. Deneen is understood
! to be favorable to the court, in CON
! trast with his predecessor, the late
! Senator Medill Mccormick who was
{ opposed to it. An even better oppor-
tunity will be presented next Satur-
/ day, it is thought, when Senator Pep
per of Pennsylvania, member of the
! committee on foreign relations, will
! arrive at White Court to spend the
week end. The Pennsylvania is rep
4. resented as 'wabbling" over the court,
! notwithstanding that he is the author
/ of the Pepper plan, now before the
| Senate. to make the court an indie
! pendent body rather than an adjunct
/ OF the League OF NatlOnS.
| All information that has been re-
ceived since the Senate adjourned has
! been to the effect that the lines Will
F! be tightly drawn. Late adviceS, sup
! plemented by the count, which has
( just been completed, stress the diff
! Guilty that may be experienced in
| forcing a vote. The administration, it
! appears, cannot depend upon the Re
! publican Senators for undivided sup
loon n of these
Senators in line as possible and de
! pend upon the Democrats for assist.
! ance.
Opposition Among Democrats.
The Democratic party as represented
! in the Senate will vote strongly for
the court only a few of the minority
members being opposed TO II. But
| among the opponents are men of the
! type of Senator Reed of Missouri who
not only will speak at length against
| the court, but Will do their utmost
! to prevent a vote.
The detection in the Republican
ranks of a leader of the type of Sena-
tor Pepper would be serious. for it is
apparent already that Senator Borah
of Idaho, who, as chairman of the
! committee on foreign relations would
be expected to lead the fight for the
administration, will lead the opposf
| ton instead. Moreover, he is likely
! to be assisted by Senator Moses of
! New Hampshire, another member of
! the committee and the President pro
tempore of the Senate. The most in
| teresting question at the moment is
! how long the debate will last and
/ whether an agreement for a vote can
! be reached. While the date for the
| beginning of the debate has been set
by the decision reached before the last
! Congress adjourned to make the sub
! iect the unfinished business of the
| Senate, December II, no limit upon
! the discussion has been placed. The
opposition, led by some of the most
! skilled parliamentarians in the Senate
may be expected to employ all possible
tactics to prevent a vote, unless shifts
| in the next few months indicate that
it has the advantage, in which event
the Senate might be willing to take
action after only a perfunctory dis
| cussion. In such circumstances, how
! ever, the court proponents would be
, expected to play for time. Whatever
| the conditions NAV he q Orot ra cted Na