Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-07
HOOVER PREPARES
FIGHT FOR TREATY
Prestige at Home and Abroad
at Stake in Forthcoming
Session.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


The House of Representatives has
gone home and the President alone
struggles with the Senate. That's the
situation on the Potomac, with Mr.
Hoover determined to fight it out with
the Upper House If it takes all Summer
Two things are at stake-the Presi-
dents leadership and the ratification OF
the naval treaty. Stimulated by his VIC
tories in the last few days of the regu-
lar session of Congress, supporters OF
the President think a turning point has
come and that the prestige of Mr.. Hoo
yer will be enhanced when the Senate
ADOPTS the naval treaty
throughout the Seventy-f1rst Con-
gress the House has been the Presi-
dents stanch ally. Circumstances are
different now, because the President
must marshal two-thirds vote in the
Senate. Much harder for the moment
is the problem of maintaining quorum
as the Senators are tired and want to
go home. Some of them are already
gone. There are not enough opponents
OF the treaty to develop pairs. Less than
20 votes will be cast against the treaty.
Hoover Prepares for Fight.
The Presidents friends are unusually
active. Conferences over the week end
show that Mr.. Hoover was preparing for
battle at last. Hitherto inclined to be
passive, the President realizes that I'M
less he can get the naval treaty ratified
his prestige abroad, as we'll as at home
will suffer. The Parliaments of Great
Britain and Japan are discussing the
naval pact, but will not ratify until the
III1ff n@ foHA Aalr h. f,a{k Co
in a sense, the entire movement to
limit naval armament hinges on the ac-
ton of the United States Senate. A de-
cisive vote in favor of the treaty will
have a profound effect abroad
The President has come to the con-
cluSion that delay would be fatal from
all points of view. First, having an
nounced that. he would call a special
session to have the treaty ratified, he
could not recede without admitting de-
feat; second, if the question ever went
over to the regular session it would be
displaced by other legislative business
and might suffer the same fate as the
World Court protocol, which has been
drifting from place to place on the
legislative calendar for the last several
years.
Johnson Alert.
OcIdUOI I1iIdIil OOIlIlSOu Ol SdlllOIIlld,
who is leading the opposition to the
treaty, is resourceful and alert. He is
counting on the Discrimination of Sena-
tors to stay in Washington during the
Summer to be largely instrumental in
blocking action at this time This much
is sure-if quorum of the Senate stays
here they cannot but act within the
next two weeks. A filibuster is out of
the question. In other words, ratifica-
ton is assured promptly If quorum
can be maintained. This is why tele-
grams are going out to Senators who
are absent telling them that their pres
ence will be required only few days
and then they can go home again.
Usually President is anxious to get
rid Of Congress as quickly as possible
At this time, however, Mr. Hoover is
spending every effort to force action, so
that the whole world may know of
Americas purposes. He feels he has
behind him the public opinion of the
country. as relatively little dissent has
been expressed to the naval treaty. It
was this kind of pressure from the
Executive which brought Congress in
line during the Wilson administration,
and it will be politically a big help to
Mr.. Hoover if he wins his battle with
the Senate.
(Copyright, ie3o)