Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-24
Taft CRITTCISES
WILSON FOR HIS
"PARTISAN"COURSE
In Urging Acceptance of Peace Treaty Without Changes
Former President Declares White House ErecutDe
Made Some Serious Mistakes During The War

1 - NSuC'' StHlu uttlGNl ulg -Vt lOliON
MY dear Mr.. Hays:
'"In what said yesterday 1 did not
go over the various interpretations
and reservations. because l thought
that in our previous correspondence
they were sufficiently explained. l
think it wise, now that l have form
ulated them, after a good deal of
! thought, to take up my reasons in
detail for suggesting them.
Speaking generally, l wsih to en-
phaslze my conviction that the
I United States Senate might well rati-
, fy the present treaty. without any
reservations or interpretations. l
am confident that the actual opera
ton of the Treaty after ratification
would bring about exactly the same
result as that which would be at
, tanned by the acceptance of these
interpretations and reservation, but
, it seems to me to be the part of
statesmen to recognize the eXigen-
cies, personal, partisan and political,
of a situation in seeking to achieve
real progress and reform.
Points Out Wilson's Mistakes
The siuation which confronts us
now IN reference to the ratification
of the Treaty is one created by very
serious mistakes of policy committed
by Mr.. Wilson. The partisan char
acter of his administration during
the war, together with his appeal to
ms countrymen to elect a Democratic
Congress in November, 1918, created
q condition of personal and political
antagonism toward him among Re-
publican leaders, which was shared
by a majority of the American peo-
pie. This was shown in the results
ol tne election. Notwithstanding
; inns Mr.. Wilson persisted in con-
llIlulhS the same partisan exclusion
lot republicans in dealing with the
highly important matter of settling
the results of the war. He selected
commission in which the Repubh-
! cans hau no representation and in
| WhIch there We're no prominent
Americans of any real experience
/ ana leadership of public opinion.
with such a commission, his unusual
course in going abroad himself, as
president, greatly emphasized the
personal element in the framing OF
the treaty and intensified the gem
eral tendency to oppose anything
that ne might bring home, because
ol ms apparent wish to dictate the
poIlcy OF the world and to monopo
llze the credit Cor it.
+, iSS4 Ihdt SOIle OF the defects OF
tHe League of Nations are due to
hilu' l am confident that he pre-
vented the adoption of the plan of
the League to enforce peace in re-
spect to an international court and
the settlement of justicable ques-
tions.
Article y, think, is due to him
primarily, because it is merely the
embodiment of the last of his four
teen points. While it came from his
suggestion, however, it suited the
demand of the French, so far as II
went, and l believe it to be now
the heart of the League in tending
TO unite the forces of the world n,
pollce duty to suppress wars of con-
quest.
The power of amendment contain
ed within the terms of the League,
offers full opportunity to remedy
the defects of the League with refer
ence to the international court and
in other respects. 1t is ab
solutely necessary to retain Article
y in order to stabilize the world.
fluid condition of the region of the
war threatens the stability of the
world, and it needs the united
forces of the world to restore a
normal condition of self-maintc,
nance. In my judgment, therefore,
1t would be most unfortunate if the
cautionary influence of Article X
may not be retained, in the crucial
decade through which the world is
to pass.
Could Avoid Hostility
The attitude of hostility toward
the President has aroused criticism.
and opposition which might have
been avoided had he taken with
| him such a man as Mr.. Root anu
two representatives of the Forelyl:
Relations Committee of the Senate.
The criticisms thus aroused have
stirred the conscience of a numbeI
of Republican Senators and have
| endangered the ratification of the
League hv two-thirds of the Senate.
Mr.. Wilson's influence with his
Democratic supporters in the Sem
ate will secure perhaps forty-five
votes. Nineteen Republican votes
are needed, and the question is how
they can be secured. I don't think
they can be secured except by re-
lieving their consciences through re-
assuring interpretations of the
League, of such a character that
they are likely to be accepted with
out further negotiation and confer
tllCG anu uSldS ny the OlIlCT HdJlOHS
who dictated the peace.
Not Majority
THE attempt of such men as SEN
ator Borah, Senator Johnson, Sena-
tor Sherman and others to defeat
the Treaty, and the deliberate eX-
aggeration of the Shantung feature
of the Treaty, do not, l think, indl-
cate the attitude of the majority
of the Republican party in the SEN
ate, and l do not think that any at
tention should be paid to the sug~
gestion that the Treaty be amended
in its provisions with reference to
the rearrangement of the map of
the region of the war
Coming now to specific interpre-
tations, it seems to me that the first
achieves all that the craftsmen of
the withdrawal clause intended, and
as thus interpreted relieves that
clause from a possible construction
by which the actual withdrawal on
two years notice might be greatly
hindered through the claims of the
other members of the League.
The second Interpretation has to
do with the presence in the League,
as members, of Self-governng do
minions of colonies OF a home gov
ernment also a member.
cannot think it was the intention OF
the trainers of the covenant that
this might happen. Yet l am bound
to say that such a result is not cN-
cluded by the present language of
the covenant. l have no
doubt that it was intended that the
language of the preamble should