The sun., 1919-04-25
WILSON'S DRAFT OF
LEAGUE SECRETED
Even State Department Has
Not Had a Glimpse Of Dis
carded Document.
POLK REQUESTED COPY
Received Cable Advices From
Paris That None Is Avail
able for Home Use.

Spec1df Dtspdtch 10 IHb sun.
WAsHINoroN, April 24.-Not even the
State Department has seen the Ameri-
can draft Of the League OF Nations,
which was rejected in favor Of the Brit
ish draft, according to the issue of Har-
vey's Weekly, to be published Saturday
next. A few weeks ago the magazine
published letter from Senator Brandc-
gee Comm to Acting Secretary Of State
POLK reciting that the President at his
now famous dinner to the Foreign Com
mittees OF Congress promised the Senator
specifically that the American draft
would be made public, and the coming
lssne- -disclases- -a-lntter-srnp,-Mr-- Polk
to the Senator reciting that n cablegram
was sent to the American Peace Mis-
sion eliclting reply by cable that cop
les of the American plan for League
Of Nations will be brought back when
the President returns to America.
The Department has no copies of
this plan" the letter said. "as the files
or the Peace Mission are being kept to-
gether in Paris until the conclusion %
the conference. and In :he meantime the
Department is not receiving the draft
proposals presented to the various COM
mittees and subcommittee"
Draft Barred to Public.
Hdrpey's Weekly then adds: The
communication from Mr.. Polk merely
tends to add official confirmation to the
announcement we have already made to
the effect that the President has no in
tention whatever OF allowing the public
to see the American plan. The simple
truth Is that he dare not II II were
otherwise what possible reason could
he now have after a promise made on
February 81 for authorizing such a
cablegram as that upon which Mr..
Folks communication is predicated?
rs there any one so ignorant of the
ways of our present Administration as
to credit that letter? 1t Is without ex-
ception the most astonishing communi-
cation to which we have ever seen the
name of a State Department official at
tached. The assumption that there are
no available copies Of the plan In Paris
is too ludicrous to discuss. Even IL there
were only one copy of the precious docu-
ment in existence, surely it is capable
OF reproduction. fairly competent
copyist could turn out a perfectly salts.
factory black sheet in an afternoon
or so.
Writer Grows Sarcastic.
I'VE were almost on the point OF
seriously suggesting to senator Brande-
gee that he offer to pay the bill for
| copying when by an afterthought we
! were reminded that the mission Is some-
what short of funds owing to the
! failures of its second 100000 appro-
priation to pass at the last session.
! I'VE have no intention Of criticising
Mr.. Polk. He has kept his word like
| the honorable man he Is and we regret
that he was compelled through a sense OF
duty to affix his signature to such q
! letter. He has our sincere sympathy. He
was never fitted TO labor in this atrnos-
| phere Of duplicity. Is 1t any wonder
that he Is thoroughly disguised with
| this sort of thing and that he has pre-
pared to resign the moment Mr.. Lansing
returns 20 Washington?
| But this is all beside the issue. The
essential point and the whole point !;
that the President is afraid for reasons
best known to himself TO allow the
people of the United States to see the
! programme to which he secretly at
, tempted to pledge them and their chill
dren's children. 1t is n typical instance
of his practice OF pitiless publicity. W.
doubt not that he hopes by delay and
evasion to forestall publication alto
gether. But unless we are very much
mistaken the American plan--his plan
will be demanded on the day the Senate
meets and 1t will be forthcoming befor'
the British plan is discussed"