The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-25

lists all Of the members Of the League
win be anxious to Join in its suppress
sion. Article X. u ono Of the great
steps to1oard provided IN tho Louore
for the securing Of general peace"
Even In his letter to Mr.. HAYS,
Of date as recent as Sunday last, Mr..
TAFT remarks Of Article ":
1T is absolutely necessary 60 re-
tain Article X in order to stabilize
the world. The fluid condition OF the
region OF the war threatens the sta
bility OF the world. and 1t needs the
united forces Of the world TO restore
a normal condition Of self-mainte-
nance. In my Judgment, therefore. IL
would be most unfortunate IL the
cauttonary influence OF Article x.
may not be retained In the crucial
decade through which the world is
TO pass"
In view of these statements it Is
little difficult to follow the line of
reasonlng-or is 1t the line of the
pressure Of emergency2-by which
Mr.. TAFT reaches the conclusion en-
bodied In the third Of his six sugges-
tions, thus reported in paraphrase:
"3. Functioning OF the council un-
der Article X. shall be advisory only.
and not binding on the members,
each OF whom shall be free to deter
mine his own obligation. which in the
case OF the United States would BIO
determined by Congress"
That knocks out so utterly and
completely Article X. as a measure
of super-sovereignty in the manner
originally proposed by President
WILSON that we are lost In wonder
how Mr.. TAFT can still regard 1t as
'one of the great steps forward pro-
vided in the League for the securing
Of general peace" II Mr.. TAFT now
views Article ". as Is intimated in
his first letter to Mr.. HAYS, in the
light of merely "cautionary infiu-
ence" his we'll known sense of humor
must have informed him that ell the
cautionary influence surviving in the
article is of the sort exhibited on a
Keep OF the Grass sign in public
place where the perpetual absence Of
policemen is notorious.
There Is mystery about the pub
LEGATION of these documents which at
the present time of writing Is yet
unexplained. We had yesterday Mr..
TAFT's six suggestions only In the
form of paraphrase or outline, al
though that was the part Of the CORE
spondence where the exact text would
naturally be expected. At the same
time we had the exact text of the first
letter OF commentary and exposition,
written last Sunday In Quebec by Mr..
TAFT and containing his extremely
frank observations on President VIII
SONS personality. AS to the second
letter from Quebec. addressed to MY
dear WILL" and intimating that It
would be unwise to bring the six sug-
gestions to the notice of Senator
LODGE or of the Senator's ranged in
general opposition to the ratification
Of the treaty without reservations"
1t is scarcely conceivable that Mr..
TAFT ever intended that mlssive TO
reach the eyes of the public. Further
evidence of this may be found in the
fact that in this same confidential
letter, written as lately as last Sun
day, Mr.. TAFT suggests future con-
ference between Mr.. HAYS and Mr..
HILIEs "in furtherance of our COM
mon object, which is that Of securing
ratification of the treaty, freeing
OF the Republican party from the bur
den of defeating the treaty and the
removal Of Its issues from the next
political campaign" He can hardly
have believed that these intimate sug-
gestions, penned on Sunday. would
appear in the following Thursday
mornings newspapers.
Whatever may be the explanation
of this singular incident, we cannot
imagine that It's effect will be any
thing but heartening to 1.-The Repub-
Leans ranged in general opposition to
the ratification Of the league without
reservations"