Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-08-31

VI - AAA0A - ~ A
yond the possibility Of restoration"
Perhaps it has, but we are not going
to quarrel with the senator as to
whose fault it is that it has passed
beyond the possibility of restoration.
In our minds it was the failure Of
the United States senate to ratify the
treaty so that the league could begin
to function. The delay caused in
waiting for the United States permit
ted things to get in such a state in
Europe hat the league has lost its
influence.
There will always be a difference
of opinion in this matter. Friends
of the original league will blame the
senate and the opponents will blame
President Wilson. Both made mis-
takes, the President in not taking the
senate into his confidence and
naming senator's on his peace COM
mission; the senators in playing petty
politics and trihins with the peace Of
the world merely to work out their
spleen against President Wilson
whom they had come to hate.
Be that as 1t may. it must be ad-
mitted that the present league has
lost much Of its effectiveness be-
cause of its failure TO take a COM
manding position in world affairs at
once. Nobody ever claimed that 1t
was perfect. not even President Will
son. The idea was hat it was the
best league hat could be drawn up
under the circumstances, that it was
our duty to go in as it stood and then
improve 1t as experience showed
where improvements could be made;
Just as the American states did in re-
gard to their constitution when it
was first adopted. 1t was with the
greatest reluctance that some of the
states adopted our much lauded con-
stitution. They finally did, but at the
very first session or congress ten
amendments were added to perfect it
and amendments are still being
made.
Considerable time has now passed
since the first daft of the covenant
o. y e League of Nations was placed
before the world and, as Senator
Harding says, conditions have
changed. Experience has brought
enlightenment" 1t would be strange.
indeed. if improvements could not be
suggested by this time. Senator
Harding would make the amend
ments now before going into the lea
que. He would use what is good in
the league to put teeth" in Hague
tribunal.
- would take and combine all that
Is good and excise all that is bad
from both organizations" he says.
This statement is broad enough to
include the suggestion that if the
league has been so entwined and in
terwoven into the peace of Europe
that its good must be preserved in
order to stabilize the peace of that
continent, then it al be amended
or revised SO hat We may still have
IA remanent of the world aspirations
in 1915 builded into the worlds high
est conception of helpful co-opera-
ton in the ultimate realization"
This is getting around to the lea
que finally, although the senator has
labored hard to do it. We must give
him credit for some clever backstep-
ping without utterly discrediting HIM
self.
There is reason to believe that
should Senator Harding become
President he would find that the
league has become so intwined and
interviewer into the peace of Europe"
AS indeed, the senate already has
found when it tried to separate the
league covenant from the peace
treaty-that the greater part of the
league will have to be preserved.
Paving the way to admit this Senator
Harding, in his speech Saturday.
said:
1T is not uncommon for the adj
~vocates of the League of Versailles
to contrast unfavorably The Hague
tribunal upon the ground that the
tribunal lack teeth Very well,
then lets put teeth into it. If in the
failed League of Versailles there can
be found machinery which the tri-
bunal can use properly and advan-
~tageously, by all means let it be ap-
propriated."
Here. then, are the teeth" that
Senator Harding would put into the
old Hague tribunal. The senator.
having been informed as to what Eli
hu Root will say upon his return
from Europe where he has played an
important part In establishing an in
ternational court as a part of the
League of Nations, has carefully
laid the foundation for fully accept
ing the League of Nations to back
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