AMERICA AND THE PEACE TREATY.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 15977, 20 November 1919, Page 5

AMERICA AND THE PEACE TREATY.

Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. WASHINGTON, November 16. The House military affairs committee has reached an agreement that the peace army shall be three hundred thousand.

The Department of Justice has announced that it has listed more than 60,000 radicals, 222 radical foreign language newspapers, and 106 radical papers printed in English in the United States regarding a "league to enforce peace.

Senator Taft has made a statement urging the Senate to reject 'the Treaty in the event of the adoption of the reservation, wherein the United States declines to arbitrate or submit to the League of Nations questions affecting the United States honour and vital interests Senator Taft points out that the reservation would mean the repudiating of the principle of more than twenty Bryan treaties negotiated since 1913.

FURTHER AMERICAN RESERVATIONS. WASHINGTON, November 16. The United States reserves the right to increase armaments without the league’s consent, the United States to decide whether to continue financial personal relations with a boycotted nation The rights of United States citizens under alien property clauses will be preserved. The Senate rejected the reservation excluding the United States from the Labour provisions of the Treaty, pnd adopted a reservation making Congress the deciding authority. NEW YORK, November IS. Senator Root’s reservation is to free the United States from any decisions of the League if the British Dominions cast votes, or from any decision arising out of disputes with a member of the league where politically the United States voted with it. A REJECTED RESERVATION, , NEW YORK, November 19. The Senate rejected the reservations referring to voting equality in tlie League of Nations Assembly.

A COMPROMISE SUGGESTED

NEW YORK, November 19. The New York Times’ Washington correspondent states that President Wilson’s determination to reject the Treaty, if the Senate adopts it with Senator Lodge’s_ reservations seems to leave a compromise as the only other alternative. Senator Hitchcock announced that he was organising the minority forces to reject the ratification resolution. There are 45 Democratic votes, of which some will probably be cast with the Republicans,, but there are sufficient remaining, however, to defeat the ratification. The basis of the possible compromise has not yet been formulated. There is an unconfirmed rumour that President Wilson might possibly accept the Treaty if the reservation requiring the assent of three other Powers were omitted. Hie Democrats, before they succeed in passing any compromise programme, would be compelled to obtain the support of more than onethird of the Republican Senators. Senator Hitchcock intimated that President Wilson was unalterably opposed to the reservation requiring the assent of other Powers to the reservation because Britain and France would object. Senator Hitchcock said that the Democrats, after defeating the' Treaty with the Lodge reservations, would attempt to gain ratification with Hitchcock’s mild reservations, but in the event of the latter being defeated they would then seek a compromise. Ho added that President Wilson would prefer to have the Treaty defeated in the Senate rather than assume the responsibility of rejecting it himself. WHO RULES—-PRESIDENT OR SENATE. WASHINGTON, Nov. 19. Senator Lodge predicted that the Senate would not obey President Wilson’s orders. The Senate had equal power and responsibility with the President, therefore it intended to see a safe Americanised treaty passed, whatever the President thought. ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO PASS IT. (Reuter.) Received November 20, 8.45 a.m. WASHINGTON, November 19. Senator Hitchcock has requested Senator Lodge to agree to permit a vote, probably on Thursday, on a resolution to ratify the Treaty without reservations.