SENATE AND TREATY.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 250, 21 October 1919, Page 5

SENATE AND TREATY.

RESERVATIONS CERTAIN. SENATOR LODGE'S VIEW. (By Coble. —Press Association.—Copyrlglit.> (Received 8.35 a.m.) WASHINGTON, October 20. I Senator Lodge, in the course of a I statement to-day, said that a decisive majority in the Senate would vote that j reservations be attached to the ratification resolution. The treaty reservations must be unequivocal and effective, protecting the peace, safety, sovereignty, and independence of the United States, Americanising the treaty and at tho same time serving the cause of general peace.— (A. and N.Z. Cable.) Senator Lodge, who ie at the head of the Republican liglit against the Treaty j does not seem at all dismayed over the rejection of Senator Fall's Treaty Amendments. The two factors that count in the present situation are, firstly, the j desire of the Republican party as aj party to overthrow the President, who ' : is a Democrat, and. so bring about areturn to a Republican regime. and, : secondly, the anxiety of the Senate to make its power felt. On this score it is ' not unlikely that a percentage of the ! Democratic .Senators will combine with I the Republicans, for the Senate had j always been eager to enforce its rights ! in to treaties and the conduct of i foreign affairs generally. The t'onstitu- ! lion lias given the Senate great power in tliLs respect, since it is iicctvsary for the ; ratification of any treaty n\th a fore : gn I country that a two-thirds majority vote siiouid be obtained in that branch of I Congress. Tiiat is a provision whieli . has thwarted the intentions of various United States Governments in regard : to arriving at amicuhie agreements with the Governments of other nations. The position seems to be Unit tin , Repi'blieo.na have ;i majority in the Senate, for the adoption of reservations, especially as they will have the support of one ni two Democrats. Tihe Senate Foreign Relations Committee has already reeomnicn'ded a.im'ndmeiVUs which will Mlflkv to wreck the treaty, un.ess the President can detach sullxient vot'oa from the Opposition for t-h<- rejection of these recommendations. To obtain tho requisite two-thirde majority for the ratification of the treat..- will, however, be a heavy task. The President's trump t-ard is that if the Senate add anything to the treaty it vvili have to go to ail the other signatories for adop- ■ lion, and that thus many months must I ela-pse before pence can be positively concluded. This view has been strongly ; urged by the minority of the "ienat* I Foreign Rela-tions Committee. The I strength of tho anti-'Wilsonians, on the I other h.uid, ia in the appeal to the I racial passions of Americans, since one of thoir main planks us the recec-uon of Shantung to Chf a, a policy which will be peculiarly irritating to Japan.