Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-27
| NATIONS BELIEVED
| READY TO FORM
| NEW ASSOCIATION
By DAVID LAWRENCE
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal.)
(CODyricht 192Ol

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26.-The ten.
dency Of the assembly of the League
of Nations now meeting in Geneva
to postpone consideration of amend
ments to the covenant until after
President Harding shall have been
inaugurated, was received in Wash
ington by friends of Senator Hard
ing as confirmation of their Oft
repeated statements that the ma
tions of the world always would be
ready to form a new association with
the United, States as an associate
in the enterprise.
Senator Harding's friends insist
that during the campaign he fire.
quently was misrepresented, by po..
litica1 opponents on the subject of
the League of Nations: When he
spoke Of new association, the SEN
ator meant to be understood as con-
veying the idea that he didn't care
whether the present machinery were
revised and modified or a new lnSt1-
tuition created, so long as the objec-
guarantees of territorial integrity
and implications of military force,
were entirely eliminated.
When he speaks of the league be-
ing dead" or when he refers as he
did at Des Moines last August to
turning his back on obligations, he
means Article X. His friends, there
fore, declare, that in SO far as an
international conference has been
brought about by the present league
and negotiation is thus made easier,
no disposition exists to insist upon
league different in every detail
| from the present organization New
ertheless they say that when Mr..
Harding formulates his program, the
| changes he will suggest to other
nn fIJn n N q
that they will absolutely alter the
character of @the covenant so that
the league will be known as the
Harding league instead of the Wilson
! league.
1inois, who has Just sailed for Europe,
is one of the so-called irreconcilables
who voted along with Senators Borah
and Johnson against, the treaty with
or without the Lodge reservations.
He said that Europe was so ready to 8,
with wit the. United States and that he
personally had been assured by per-
sens close to foreign governments
of their readiness to. accept the
American program. His visit to
Europe is fully expected to develop
interesting conferences with foreign
statesmen, the substance of which
will be cabled to Senator Harding at
Marion
Mr.. Mccormick is in no sense an
official representative of Mr.. Harding
of his plans. The Illinois senator
differs from other members of the
| ;rreconcilable group in that he sees
| the necessity Of some sort of world
associates in which America shall
play part in her own way.
Incidentally considerable pressure
is being brought to bear upon Presi-
dent-elect Harding to persuade him
to move for the revision Of the peace
treaty itself. There is no doubt
that if Senator Knox were made Sec
rotary of state he would endeavor
the world association idea so that
the United States never would be
| obliged to participate in the enforce
ment of the treaty. Whether such a
separation will be practicable is a
| moot point.
So many compromises were work.
| ed out in Paris that some Of the ma
lions which have most at stake
would fear that reopening of one
question would lead to tangled sit
uation on another and thus to politi-
| cal crisis throughout Europe. How
ever, there seems no question that
the proposal will be made complete
| ly to divorce the peace treaty from
! the new association as the original
round robin presented by the Repub-
| lican senator's proposed when Presi-
dent Wilson made his first trip to
the United States from the peace
conference.
Of course the action of the as
sembly of the League of Nations in
waiting for proposals from the
United States to change the cove
nant is interpretated here as a par
ticularly graceful move and one that
| is apt to put an ever, greater re-
sponsibility for early action on Pres
| ident-elect Harding.
1t is viewed as the first overture
| by Europe to Senator Harding and
some of those who know him best
are convinced he will not lose the op.
| portunity to make an entirely new
proposal for the preservation of
world peace.