Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-23
NEW TURN IN PEACE
TANGLE IS DEBATED
Mr.. Roots Change of Mind
on Article 10 Raises
Fresh Problem.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Will Hays work is bearing fruit.
The republican party is not going to
mar it's good beginning on domestic
legislation by getting into hopeless
tangle on the Knox resolution sepa-
rating the league of nations plan from
the peace treaty. Senator Lodge an
nounces that in order to pass needed
appropriate bills there will be no
move to press for vote on the KNOX
resolution. The democrats insist that
the real reason is that the Knox reso-
luton can't pass and that the repub-
lican leaders do not want to risk
blow to their prestige by defeat of
the resolution.
AS for the republican fight against
the league of nations. it has taken
new turn. Will Hays has again
brought Eiihu Root to the fore to
state the republican viewpoint But
the republicans will follow even Mr..
Roots suggestions. And the reasons
are plain.
Fundamental Part of Covenant.
Mr.. Root himself has changed his
mind on article ten which would
guarantee the boundaries of the peace
treaty. In his first letter to Chairman
Hays he argued that the article ought
permitting withdrawal after five
years. Instead of urging that amend
ment, he now insists that the whole
article be stricken out. By doing so,
he asks the republican party to go on
record as opposing one of the most
fundamental articles of the whole
covenant of peace.
That Mr.. Root himself is aware of
the immense responsibility of such a
move is evidenced by his own sug-
gestion that if any doubt exists con-
corning the Willingness of the other
covenant after article ten has been
omitted. our representatives at Paris
can ascertain that fact right now.
He believes the big four will assent
But if they don't, he admits the whole
peace treaty may be affected. Presi-
friends here to solve Mr.. Roots doubts
at once. He can ask Prime Minister
Lloyd George and Premier C1emenceau
what they think about it. Anyone
who has watched the course of the
peace conference and the French and
British point of view particularly will
have no doubt of the answer.
Europe wants America to help keep
peace in the world by throwing the
weight of her influence behind the
helping to guarantee peace. Mr.. Root
himself argued along that line in his
first letter. Many people are asking
what has caused him to change his
mind. Possibly he will gain more re-
publican support if he explains.
Foreign-Born Population.
On another point, democrats were
especially inquisitive today as they
analysed the Root letter. Mr.. Root Of
fers as a reason for American aloof-
ness from Europe the fact that IS
per cent Of the population Of the
asks how the United States is going
to control their "sympathies and their
action if we participate in the set
Element of European questions.
That is precisely the viewpoint
just after the. United States entered
the war. American citizens of Ger
man birth protested violently against
the idea of protecting American rights
on the high seas on the ground that
the Lusitania was a British ship and
claimed Americans had no business on
the ocean while Europe was at war
The sinking of the Lusitania WIS held
up as an incident to a stric1y Eu-
ropean question. And when the Unit
ed States entered the war many
American citizens argued that they
against their first fatherland I'm
mediately the outcry against the hy-
phenate became nationwide. Shall
the hyphenate, who constitutes 35 per
cent Of the American population, de-
eide Americas foreign policy. or shall
the United States?
This was the question more than
one democrat was asking today. Some
of them said that if Theodore Roose-
Welt were alive today ne might find
a million reasons for opposing the
& a trna OS hot 1,
argue that the United States could
not control the action" of foreign
born citizens in any question of for
eign policy.
Force of Article 10.
Most observers here don't think Mr..
Root seriously favors the Knox resolu-
ton to separate the peace treaty from
the covenant or he would not be sug-
costing amendments based on the idea
that there would be no such division.
Much sympathy was expressed with
the proposal by Mr.. Root that something
be done to strengthen the system Of
judicial decisions on questions of legal
right, and particularly on the revision
1t was felt that there could be no valid
objection to description of the Monroe
doctrine. such as Mr.. Root suggests or
specific exclusion from the powers of
the council OF the league of the right
to define the national or international
limits of immigration as a question at
issue. All these points, with the eX-
ception of the elimination Of article
10. can be included by the Senate in
its ratifying resolution. and the other
slgnator1es to the treaty probably
will offer no objection and the treaty
will stand ratified. They would OBJ
ject. however, to the loss of article
10, and would consider the treaty had
lost its principal tooth-indeed one by
which they expect to make Germany
carry out her promises. Eventually
the Senate will recede on this point.
And the ratifying resolution may ex-
plain or limit the time of our obliea-
ton to guarantee Europe's boundaries.
possibly five years, but the United
States will not abandon Europe at
this stage of world confusion and dis
order.
Copyright, 1919. by N. Y. Evening Post, Incl