The sun., 1919-03-28
BY LAURENCE HILLS.
StoT Correspondent Of The sun.


copv1ort. 1919; all rights reserved
PARIS, March 27.-The failure Of
President Wilson to offer a Monroe
Doctrine amendment and of the Japa-
nese to present their racial equality
proposal at Wednesday nights meet
ing Of the League Of Nations Com.
mittee are only surface indications OF
the diplomatic situation that is the
latest to embarrass the Presidents
plans.
All indications point To the two
questions being interviewer. with the
Japanese playing an astue game of
diplomacy aimed at a Quid pro quo.
No authoritative information has as
yet been offered for the Presidents
failure to make even a reference To
the Monroe Doctrine at this meeting,
which completed revision of the cove
nant.
Inasmuch as the President had
asked at a previous meeting to have
Article \ laid aside because he had
an important amendment TO offer
upon which he then was working. his
failure 10 bring up the matter
Wednesday resulted I'm leaving this
article. which is perhaps the most i'm.
portant in the whole covenant. with
out change and two questions which
have attracted most attention abso-
lutely unsettled
Amendment Drawn by Taft.
This is the more extraordinary in
view of the fact. officially admitted,
that the President had in his pocket
al previous meeting a Monroe Doc
trine amendment drawn by William
ii. Taft, which he Withheld at the
last minute.
The Japanes are preserving their
usual stolidity. As the situation now
stands the President has in his pocket
the Monroe Doctrine amendment,
which his informants i'll America have
nant without fail in order to obtain
ratification by the Republicans. The
Japanese. on the other hand, have In
their pockets the racial equality
anne ndment, which they insist must
receive some recognition II their peo-
pie are TO approve the covenant. and
Yet one which is already a controver-
sisl issue in America
\ forecast OF another Lodge objsc-
tion was specifically met Wednesday
by a clause providing that any nation
may withdraw from the league after
two. years notice OF intention and the
fulflment OF all its international obli-
cations.
Separate Ratification nrauirea.
This is put negatively, but the effect
is the same. The new Republican OBJ
lection believed by President Wilson
to have been met is that by Senator
Knox concerning the league commits
sions.' The conventions GrH-~. by thess
commissions on labor, tariff white
slavery, &C, will have 10 be ratified
separately by eaCn nation, after which
administration will be entrusted to the
league.
II is made plain that the mandatory
clause win not be compulsory each ma
ton being left to decide for itself
Women ara recognized to an eXtraor-
dirGry extent making a woman eli2i-
bile even TO the presidency Of the league.
II was explained with smiles that there
wasn't any object tiOu to this even from
Japan.
With the changes now made in the
document, including many in the inter
est Of clarity, the covenant largely has
been rewritten, virtually by the Repub-
lCFns. Yet even tie Democratic sup
porters feel that these changes are in
adequate to obtain ratification without
specific reservation with respect to tho
Monroe Doctrine. The new covenant
has twenty-siN articles. and. like the
previous one, has about the same mum
Der Of words
The legal committee, headed by Lord
Robert Cecil, cannot consider either the
Japanese proposal or the Monroe Doc
;rine, handling only the legal phrase
ology. An opportunity to bring up these
questions, however, will he offered when
the covenant is reported again, The
French are insisting that the covenant
must, then be laid before the plenary
session, and have reserved the Bour
geois- amendments until then. Japan
can also withhold her amendment unit
the full session unless an agreement IS
reached In the negotiations.
Japan Is holding out for her propos!
tiop, and is letting II he known that
she would be willing to trade with the