Evening star., 1920-03-26
WHITE HOUSE SAYS:
ASK SENATORSAS
T0NEXT PACT STEP
Indicates President Means to
Let "0ther Fellow" "SteW
in Own Juice"
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Whats the next move in the treaty
is the question which a
group of correspondents asked at the
White House today.
ASK the people on Capitol HILL"
was the reply given by officials pre-
conversant with President
Wilson's plans or intentions.
From this conversation. as we'll as
from the fact that fully a week has
gone by without a statement of any
kind from the President, it is being
generally inferred that Mr.. Wilson
considers the responsibility for the
present mix-up to rest squarely on
the shoulders of the United States
Senate, and that the latter should
worry about how to extricate itself
from the dilemma in which the for
eign relations of the United States
has been placed by the defeat Of the
peace treaty.
Split ON Peace Resolution.
This is favorite point Of view in
administration quarters s-lettfng the
other fellow stew in his own juice"
as the phrase is so often applied in
politics. But the treaty is not before
the Senate. 1t has been returned to
the White House. Mr.. Wilson is in no
hurry to return 1t to the Senate, pre-
ferring to see what Congress is going
to do about a resolution declaring
peace. Many members Of Congress
seem to think the passage of a joint
resolution proclaiming peace. coupled
with a general declaration Of policy.
would be sufficient substitute for the
peace treaty itself. but this view is
opposed by republicans and democrats
alike. who think the Senate will still
ha III Ia
peace II no treaty is ratified by the
time of the next elections.
There. moreover. is division of
opinion on the declaration of policy.
the so-called mild reservationists and
others from states favoring the
have the resolution contain a declara-
ton in favor of the principle of the
league. To this. however. men like
Senators Borah and Johnson, who
have conducted their whole fight
against the league of nations prin-
over the joint resolution will unques-
tionably produce in the Senate so
much quareIing and ng-drawn- out
discussion over the policy the United
States should pursue that the two
big political conventions at Chicago
and San Francisco probably will be
here before any action is taken.
The President wants the league
taken into the campaign as a political
issue. He is wise enough to know
that II he injects his own personality
into the fight and seeks a third term
his entire advocacy of the league of
nations will be brought into serious
doubt. People who have refused to
believe Mr.. Wilson was personally
ambitious to retain the executive
power would be reluctantly forced to
believe that the league was merely a
device or vehicle for a third term
All the rules OF logic as Wilson fol-
lowers express them would seem to
indicate that the President has not
for moment considered tying up his
own course with that Of the league
and treaty.
If the President intended to run for
third term he would show disap-
proval of the active campaigns of At
torney General Palmer. Gov Cox of
Ohio and ether intimate friends He
has not. The effort made by Repre-
sentative Humphreys of Mississippi,
democrat. to smoke out Mr.. Wilson
on the third-term question is a di-
rect consequence Of the misunder-
standing on Capitol Hill or rather
lack OF information about the Presi-
dents plans. Messrs. Kitchin and
SidEh, VINO congratulated Mr. Hum
phreyS after his speech. are not over
fond Of Mr.. Wilson and would like to
see a declaration that would take
him out of the political game alto
gether.
VIII Not Meekly withdraw.
But Woodrow Wilson has played
far too dominant a part in the demo-
cratic party to slip out inconspicu-
ously and meekly as his term of
office approaches an end. The con-
sensus OF opinion is that he is hold
ing back on the third term question
simply to keep his own party to-
gether and his political opponents
guessing. and that he will make
formal statement of his position at
the proper time and the proper
p1ace-the democratic national con-
vention at San Francisco. with the
delegates of the democratic party
duly assembled.
He has other things, too. to COM
municate to that convention-some-
thing, for instance, that the damo-
Gratis can call ringing" declaration
of principle for their platform. Mr..
Wilson will write the planks that
condemn" and commend" senators
who voted against or for the treaty
without reservations. though it will
take expert phraseoloGy and diction
to avoid entangling the twenty-one
democrats who voted with the Lodge
and the twenty-three
democrats who voted with the re-
publican irreconcilables.
But for the present the White
waiting for the men on Capitol Hill |
to make ;he next move On the check |
erboard Of national politics.
fC0pyr1ht 1o90l