Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 209, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 August 1919 — TREATY CANNOT BE AMENDED [ARTICLE]

TREATY CANNOT BE AMENDED

That Is Senator Hitchcock’s View After Conference With the President. OPTIMISTIC ABOUT TREATY ' 7 Keen Observers at Washington Feel That All Efforts to Amend the Treaty Will Prove Futile.

Washington, Aug. 27.—Senator Hltchco<x. who is leading the fight In the senate*for the ratification of the peace treaty, has issued a statement to the effect that lie and the other friends of the treaty in the senate-are so confident of their ability to defeat any amendments on the floor of the senate that they are willing to go to a vote this week. Senator Hitchcock’s statement was given out Just after he left the White Home where he had conferred with the president about the treaty. The conference with the president followed a red-letter day in the senate for the friends of the treaty. The speech of Senator McCumber, one of the veteran Republican leaders, against the Shantung amendment adopted by the majority of the foreign relations committee, was one of the most effective arguments that has been made against the Shantung amendment in particular as well as against amendment or reservation that would necessitate sending the treaty back to the powers. It Is the general opinion among the keenest observers in Washington that Senator McCumber has more than off set any headway that the opponents of the treaty may have made by reason of the" fact that they control the foreign relations committee. “To my mind, Senator McCumber has put the final nail in the Shantung eoptroversy,’’ said Senator Hitchcock In his statement.

Continuing, Senator Hitchcock said: “I told the president that the Shantung amendment put on in the foreign relations committee, would be defeated by a decisive vote in the senate, I told him that at least 12 Republican senators would vote against the amendment.

“The president seemed pleased wtih the situation in the senate and the country. I told him we helped move the treaty forward today by getting rid of the Fall amendments. I suggested to the committee that It might as well vote on all as one of them. “My position is that it is best to get the treaty in the senate, regardless of what Is done to it in the committee, where the opponents are in the majority.

“The country cannot be settled until this treaty is disposed of in the proper way. Nothing will be settled as long as it is pending.’’ “That is the basis of all our troubles now,” said Bernard Baruch, who was listening to the statement of Mr. Hitchcock. Mr. Hitchcock responded: “Yes. and we will not get rid of them until we act. The country is rapidly coming to that conclusion. The people want action.” “My prediction is,” Mr. Hitchcock added, “that each amendment put on By the foreign relations committee will be voted down when It comes up. W£ have at least 40 Democrats and 20 Republicans who will stand together against some amendments. The vote will not be so large on others but large enough to kill them. “About forty Democrats are working with the 20 Republicans to get the treaty out of the committee.” Mr. Hitchcock predicted that the treaty would be ratified by the last of September. “I have been a little dubious about the proposed trip of the president,” said Senator Hitchcock, "but, his success with the Republican senators who called on him by invitation has convinced me that he could do great good before the people. The attitude of the opponents of the League of Nations improved after the visits to the White House. Contact with the members of the senate has helped. I told the president he should see other senators, and I hope he will.”