The Washington herald., 1919-11-02

! people and The task of dividing ,he
| Ottoman Empire and settling the Bal.
kan tansle becomes daily moro dim.
cult.
/ What have We 10 do with Asia
Minor or the Balkans the American
is likely to say. when a foreigner de.
clares that the United States is re.
| sponsible for the chaos in those re.
Slons. I'VE have never even been al
war down there; how then can wc
hold up peace negotiations"
Answer Complicated.
The answer is complicated. but that
We are in a sense delaying the East
ern settlement is true. Europe is
| wa.ting to make peace with Turkey
tuntil we say whether we are willing
to take a mandate over Armenia. An
American commission, now inrestiEat-
ing conditions on the spot. will report
1t Is understood against the proposal.
At least, every American knows. we
are not anxious to run Armenia. Why
should Europe be waiting for our
word? Because England, gorged with
TERRITORY, wants US to help guard the
road to India and restore peace in the
fertile but haraSsed interior of Asia
Minor. She is not willing that any
European Power should take the man.
date instead of ourselves. France
and Italy would rather America took
Armenia than England. and they know
British jealousy will not permit them
to ask for it themselves.
So all are agreed to await our de-
cision, whatever inconvenience and
horrors the delay may give rise to-
And We say nothing, We do not decide
The people back home. as our repre-
sentatives in Paris well know, arc
hardly aware that the Armenian ques-
| ton affects the United States Presi-
dent Wilson is i'll. and when well gave
no indication of whether he had made
up his mind.
Moreover, suppose President Wilson
said the word and the deaf and
dumb" American delegation here
heard and spoke accordingly, and Eu-
j rope took note that America agreed
10 take the Armenian mandate. could
the treaty partitioninG Turkey he
drawn up even then? For there would
remain the United States Senate.
Astonishcs Europe.
. The Senate astonishes and terrified
| Europe. 1t is impossible for the Eng
/ lish or Continental statesman to un-
! derstand our system whereby the acts
of the chiefs of our government may
! be set aside. after debates lasting for
months. If Wilson agrees to take Ar
menia. what will the Senate say? And
when will the Senate give its answer?
II Wilson offers to run Armenia, dip
| lomats here believe that the Turkish
Senate agrees or disagrees with the
| Turkish treaty. II the Senate says no
the whole settlement in the East will
| break down and the work must be
begun again.
An astute French diplomat. close
student of American policy or lack OF
policy in our peace negotiations
pointed out bswildering set of
puzzles lying ahead of us that make
. the complexities of the German treaty
| appear simple.
1t will be admitted. this man said
that President Wilson on his own re,
| sponsibility cannot take over Armenia
| as an American ward. or protectorate
But 1t is the Senate that exercises
the veto power over foreign policy,
| and that by reason of its power to re-
| ject treaties. Since, however, America
has never been at war with Turkey
how can America sign the peace
treaty?
Still worse, how can a peace treaty
be drawn at all settling the new
boundaries in Asia Minor without
foreknowledge whether the United
States is prepared to maintain Ar
| menia as a neutral buffer state? Upon
that depends what frontiers, economic
and military safeguards in the neigh
borhood. the other great powers will
demand.
Treaty Held Up.
And so, the cynical Frenchman n
concluded. we arrive at the result
that a Turkish treaty cannot be
drawn up until the United States
states whether or not she is pre-
pared to accept responsibility for
Armenia. And at the same time we
see that the final decision as to
whether the United States will or
will not take the mandate must be
made by the Senate after. and not
before. the treaty is agreed upon.
From these two premises logic in