LEAGUE COVENANT

Hokitika Guardian, 20 November 1919, Page 2

LEAGUE COVENANT

I- -©*► y WILSON’S DILEMMA. in le (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright J >s NEW YORK, Nov. 17. st The “New York Times” Washingto '0 correspondent states: “President Wi d son seems determined to reject th 1- Treaty if the Senate adopts it wit d Senator Lodge’s reservations. Thi ls seems to leave a compromise as the oal 10 alternative. 3 Senator Hitchcocks (Democrat) ai _0 nounced that he has been organisin d the minority forces to reject the fins “■ ratification resolution. There are ai 1 together 45 democratic votes in th T ~ Senate of which some, however, wi *• probably be east with the Republican v for the ratification of the reservations s but there are probably sufficient r< maining Democrat votes to defeat sue ratification, J The basis of any possible compromis has not yet been formulated. There i however, an unconfirmed rumour tha President Wilson might accept th y Treaty if the particular reservation re 1 quiring the assent of three other Povs . ers to the important reservations, wer , omitted. The Democrats, before the; succeeded in passing any compromisi ; programme, however, would be com . pellerl to obtain the support of mor< j than a third pf the Republican Sena tors. Senator Hitchcocks int’imatec that President Wilson was unalterably I opposed to the reservation requiring the assent of other Powers to the reservations, because Britain and France would object to this. Senator Hitchcocks said that the Democrats, after defeating the Treaty, with Senator Lodge’s reservations, would attempt to gain ratification with Senator Hitchcock’s own mild reservations; but that in the event of the latter being defeated they would tV n seek a compromise. * He added that President Wilson would prefer to have the Treaty defeated outright in the Senate rather than have to assume the responsibility of rejecting it himself.