El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-07-30
WILSON ADOPTS
NEW ATTITUDE
President Is Careful Not to
Further Antagonize
Senate.
vCOntinued from page >

down some Of the personal feeling
] against him in the senate il is
cOntended that the change of per
SonaI attitude on the part OF in
dividuaI Republicans viii be help
} tul in the future
! The presidents advisors in the SEN
/ ate seem to think il would be poor
] strategy to give up these conferences
with Republicans and Democrats I'M
I til Mr.. Wilson has canVassed the
whole ground. They say two weeks
/ is too brief a time to give to confer
ence on such a weighty subject SO
/ the president will go through the
whole list Of Republican leaders and
answer the questions of the senate,
and whether the treaty has been rati-
fled or not will start westward after
he has demonstrated that he has
done all that he can do, personally.
officially, politically and otherwise to
( bring about the ratification of the
peace treaty.
No Compromising Position.
It is felt that the president can
hardly afford TO maintain any COM
promising position about interpre-
tations- The suggestions conveyed
to senator Frederick Hale by Charles
E. Hughes cover almost the same
ground as the protestations by friends
Of the president indeed Mr.. Wilson
himself, in his message on the French
treaty. makes a statement which
could be regarded from the viewpoint
Of international law as a statement
Of American policy just as much as
the statement~of president Monroe.
But, n mere expression from
the president on the obligations
Of article 10 would not satisfy
senatorial opinion. Republican
senators want IL expressly under
stood that congress Will retain
the war making power. even I'M
der the league of nations.
The president is being urged
cept certain interpretations. He is
expected TO make a public statement
defining the difference between inter-
pretations and actual amendments.
HIS message about the French treaty
will prove a vital test Of senatorial
sentiment Opponents of the league
Of nations who do not wish to have
American forces fighting overseas in
the future would logically be COM
PEELED to oppose also the French
treaty, but senator Henry Cabot
Lodge and other Republicans say they
favor the pledge to aid France.
French Treaty Clear.
Although the president for some
precipitate both the French treaty
and the league covenant at the same
time. IL is plain TO disinterested OBJ
servers that ratification Of the special
defensive agreement 10 aid France
would bind the United States 10 take
Germany without waiting for the
league Of nations to act and individ-
ual members thereof to express their
own judgments.
II the French treaty can pass then
the league is assured of ratification.
Mixing the two issues carries the
danger Of confusing the public as to
the obligation to 20 TO war without
lnucn consideration by congress. but
the decision Of Mr. Wilson to present
the defensive agreement with France
puts the whole question before the
country with all OF its details.
A declaration by the president on
his willingness to accent certain in
terpretations Of the covenant in the
ratifying resolution viii complete the
record and then the issue will be
It is plain that Mr.. Wilson couId
not go west until the lines OF cleav-
age were made more definite.-Copy-
rlght- 1913. The FL Paso Herald.