Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-14
TREATY WILL MAKE
TRADE SAFER, SAYS
MINORITY LEADER
Robinson Insists Naval Pact
Leaves u. S. Inferior to
No Other Nation.
FIGHT HINGES ON KEEPING
QUORUM, PRESIDENT TOLD
Leaders Seem Encouraged and Talk
of Adjourning by July "a
Is Heard.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Declaring that the country and
American commerce will be safer with
the London Naval Treaty than without
1t, Senator Joseph T. Robinson of Ar
kansas, Democratic leader and a men,
Der of the American delegation which
ratified the treaty, today strongly urged
the Senate to ratify the pact
The Democratic leader insisted, too,
that the treaty left the United States
inferior to no other nation in naval
strength.
The Senate drove ahead today with
the consideration of the naval pact.
Meeting at IL am, an hour earlier than
the usual meeting time of the Senate. a
quorum was quickly developed, with 81
Senators answering to the roll call. A
quorum is 40. The margin is so mar
row, however, that Senate leaders are
doing all they can to urge absentees to
return to Washington.
Senator Watson, the Republican lead
er. and Senator Borah of Idaho, chair
man of the Foreign Relations Committee
and in charge of the treaty, were at the
White House in consultation with Pres
ident Hoover today in regard to the
treaty situation,
quorum CTuX OF FIgnt.
Senator Borah told the President that
the fight to ratify the treaty hinges on
the maintenance of a quorum. He i'm
pressed upon the Chief Executive the
necessity of getting at Senators to re-
turn to Washington and stay here.
There were several arrivals of hither-
TO absent Senators today. Senator Kean
of New Jersey, Senator Gould of Maine
and Senator Pine CT Oklahoma, all Re-
publicans, were here today for the first
time since the special session opened.
Word was received also that Senator
Greene of Vermont was on his way to
take part.
The leaders seemed to be encouraged
today and there was talk of reaching
an adjournment by July "a.
Absentees Urged to Return.
The general understanding is that the
battle for ratification will continue, no
matter how long it may take. Tele-
grams are being sent by the Senate
leaders urging all absentees to return
to Washington and to stay on the job
until the treaty fight is over.
The Norris reservation declaring that
IN view of the Presidents failure to
send to the Senate the confidential cor
reSpondence relating to the negotiation
of the treaty the Senate ratifies the
treaty with the understanding that no
secret agreement is to govern in the
Interpretation of the treaty will be re-
sisted by the administration forces sup
porting the treaty, it was determined.
Despite the claims of Senator Moses
of New Hampshire, an opponent Of the
treaty, that % or IS Senators would
vote against ratification of the treaty
II the Norris reservation were defeated,
the supporters of the treaty generally
speaking. are not going to accept the
reservation. A majority Of the Senate
can defeat the reservation.
Some Of the supporters Of the treaty
have urged that the Norris reservation,
in amended form. be adopted by the
Senate They maintain that the reSer-
walton is really meaningless, since there
are no secret agreements in connection
with the treaty and that its adoption
would have no effect whatever.
Mcclellan Attacks Secrecy.
Senator Mcclellan of Tennessee at
tackled President Hoover because he
had declined to send to the Senate the
confidential correspondence relating TO
the negotiations of the treaty. Senator
Mcclellan said the President, If he
wished. could have sent this cor
respondence to the Senate and asked
that it be kept confidential. In that
way, Senator Mcclellan said, it would
not have been made public. He
charged that President Hoover was
more tender to the feelings of foreign
diplomats than he was to the feelings
Of the members of the Senate.
The President, he said, is an interna-
tionalist and impregnated with the doc
trine of secret diplomacy. The Ten
neSsee Senator insisted secret negotia-
lions were more hurtful to interna-
tional relations than anything else. The
refusal to give out the facts, he said,
cold only do harm.
Reasons Summarized.
Senator Robinson of Arkansas, in his
address to the Senate supporting the
treaty. summarized the reasons for that
support. He said:
THE instrument limits all classes Of
warshipS for the United States, Great
Britain and Japan.
The only process by which competi-
ton in naval construction may be sus-
pended or terminated is through inter-
national agreement voluntarily entered
into by the various Sovereignties. Even
II it were possible for one people TO in
timidate another with respect to the
means of national defense, limitation OF
armament resulting from such processes
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