Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-07-17
ARE We AT WAR OR
PEACE WITH GERMANY

SOME OF THE WASHINGTON OF.
FICIALs HAVE CONFLICTING
VIEWS ON MATTER
Senator Knox holds that whether
we shall have ratified the Versailles
treaty or not, lit (the treaty. will
apply to the United States as soon as
it applies to the three other powers,
because peace will then be fact"
Speaking for the state department,
Acting Secretary of State, Mr.. Phil
lips, supports Senator Knox. He is
quoted in Washington dispatch to
the Sun as saying that instructions
from Paris make it clear that the
United States would not be placed at
a disadvantage in trade matters
when the blockade was lifted, and
that the blockade would be lifted
and trade with Germany resumed af-
ter Germany had ratified the treaty.
Attorney General Palmer, On the
other hand, holds that ratification of
the treaty by the senate must pre-
cede peace and that trade with Ger
many will have to await that event.
OUl Oiu lIiCnu, tnc WOIlu, nOiuS
that "even the favorable action of
the senate does not complete treaty
for the president can then withhold
1t If he wishes, or he can proceed to
negotiate a new treaty. There are
only two ways" says our contemp-
orary, "by which peace can be legally
restored between the United States
and Germany. One is for the SEN
ate to ratify the treaty of Versailles.
the other is for the president to ne
gotiate a new treaty"
Now all this is bewildering. The
state department and the department
of justice hold Numerically oppos-
lite Views. The World and the
great jurist who represents Pennsyl-
wanna in the senate are as far apart
as the poles, with Senator Knox fat
ly accusing the World of "pettifogg-
ging.'
And lastly the World itself in one
breath fatty contradicts what it had
emphatically asserted in another
breath. In one paragraph 1t says
that even If the senate does ratify
treaty, that treaty is void because
the president may withhold it. In the
next paragraph it says that the only
way the Versailles peace treaty can
be made an effective treaty is for the
senate to ratify it. And, more be-
wildering vet, the only other way we
may have peace with Germany is
for the president to negotiate a new
treaty"
But the president has already me
gotiated" one peace treaty with Ger
many. Yet it has not brought us
peace and, according to the World, it
cannot bring us peace, because the
president may withhold" i. On
the other hand, the World contends
that he only way we may have peace
is for the senate to ratify the Ver-
sailles treaty. But that will not
president may negotiate new treaty
and this mere presidential .negotia-
ton of new treaty will bring us
peace. In fact, according to the
World, new treaty negotiation by
the president il one of the only two
ways by which we may have peace.
The other way is for the senate to
ratify the Versailles treaty-yet that
will not bring us peace. either. be-
cause the president may withhold"
1t.
We confess that the Worlds line
of argument seems to us rather ro-
tatory. We have tried to follow it
closely with the text right before us,
but find we have travelled twice
around a circle without getting any
where. Maybe, it's the heat. But,
whatever 1t is, we are completely be-
fuddled blythe Worlds Interpretation
of the constitutional questions in
volved. We are frank to say that
after reading that journals discus
sion of the question we are left in an
embarrassing uncertainty as to
whether We are afoot or on horse
back.
But, no matter. What the coun-
try knows and what all the lay world
knows, is that, so far as the United
States is concerned, the war is over
and peace is here. Furthermore,
League of Nations reveries to the
contrary Notwithstanding 1t is here
to stay. The business men of the
country are going to go right on do
ing business, and doing business with
our late enemies. II they want to the
moment the blockade is raised for
our late belligerent associates. We
have been kept out of war" and we
have been kept out of peace, but we
are not going to be kept out of the
markets of the world when the bars
are down for every country but ours.
In fact according to the rather
grieved reports of English experts in
Germany, we are even now On the
job in that country, with an Ameri-
can Chamber of Commerce founded
in Berlin and with wide-awake Am
erican business men hard at work to
capture German trade the moment
any of our competitors enter the
field.
Meantime there need be no let up
in the theorizing as to whether we
are technically at war or at peace.
1t will remain theorizing, pure and
simple. There will be no trade en-
barge club swinging. That would
not be politically prudent.-Harvey's
Weekly.
COMPLETED LARGE JOB
- p.--. - S,,ck tho