The Washington herald., 1920-08-13
Attitude of Insisting. on
Article Ten Would Con-
tinue Deadlock"
SEES HOPE IN HARDING
Former President Airs His
Views on Changing Con-
ditions of Campaign.
BY WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT.


previous attitude as "one with Mr..
He AYERS that the Lodge reserva-
tions clearly emasculate the basic
principle of the whole peace plan.
He defends Article X. He says:
Our platform clearly lays no bar
against any additions that will be
helpful, but it speaks in a firm
resolution TO stand against any
thing that disturbs the vital prin-
cIple."
Having indicated that the Lodge
reservations do clearly emasculate
the basic principle of the league,
he thus leaves no doubt Of his &C
cord with Mr.. Wilson in rejecting
the league without Article X. He
apologies for some Democratic
Senators who voted for the Lodge
reservations on the ground that
they acted under dures OF po
liticaIly bigoted minority" in a de-
sire to get things started, but he
neither here nor elsewhere abates
the firm resolution himself to re-
ject the Lodge resolutions as Mr..
Wilson did.
PubDC opInlOn SOIc ROPE
The governors only hope Of
avoiding the same deadlock which
Mr.. Wilson caused seems to be that
the expressed view Of the people
in the election will induce this
politically bigoted minority who
retain their seats in the Senate and
can defeat the treaty TO vote for
the league without the Lodge res
ervations.
The effect OF a popular vote upon
this politically bigoted minority IS.
of course. a matter OF Judgment,
but he is much more optimistic
than most people II he thinks that
those who compose it will come 10
| the league or any form Of reserva-
tion which leaves uneliminated Ar
( ticle x The Republican Senators
have put their opposition to this
article on the ground-whiCh in all
| fairness must be conceded to be
| isincere-that II is dangerous to the
public veal. They have been sup
ported in this view by such men
as MI Root and Mr.. Hughes.
New Attitude Improbable.
It is most improbable. therefore.
that the result of the election will
change the attitude OF the sitting
Republican Senators. The very OBJ
ject Of giving power to a minority
I in the Senate to prevent the ratifca-
tion Of a treaty was to enable it 70
stand against a popular majority
and check what to it seemed a
1 fundamentally unwise step in the
| highly important field Of our foreign
relations. Moreover. Republican Sen
ators may well refuse to accept the
result OF the election as a popular
decision on Article X. Mr. Will
sons Obduracy in sacrificing the
/ league to that article has no more
striking phase than in his unreason-
able view that the merits OF the
article could and would be passed
on decisively in a popular election
with so many weighty issues
Cox Plan Not n Remedy.
Mr.. Cox does not at all abate his
adherence to Article X or his op-
position to the Lodge reservations
by his own personal interpretations.
I The first is that the United States
will cooperate in the league and
remain a member only as long as its
purpose is 10 maintain peace and
comfy among the nations OF the
earth and to prevent the recurrence
Of destructive wars Certainly this
does not qualify or modify Article
Y. II only reaffirms our un-
doubted right given in the league to
withdraw from it when we find il
is not being executed in accordance
with its declared purpose.
The second is that the United
/ States must act in accord with its
constitutional limitations, which the
| This is only saying an undisputed
| thing in a solemn way. The OBJ
| legations Of Article X are. Of
! course, to be performed by the
| United States in accord with its due
constitutional procedure. II by that
article the United States is under
obligations to go to war, then Con-
| gress must, under the Constitution,
declare and maintain the war.
Why Lodge Fights Article.
Mr Lodge has admitted from the
| first that the United States may con-
| stitutionally agree to make war, and
bind Congress in good faith TO
! carry out the agreement; but he,
and those who stand with him. OBJ
| ject to Article X not because we
have not the power to assume an
( obligation to make war but because
under the article II will imperil the
nation to do so by constantly
dra gging us into wars in which we
! can have no real interest.
The supporters of the Lodge res
/ ervation as to Article X oppose any
obligation which may require Con-
gress in good faith to declare war
when. unhampered by the obliga-
| ton. It would not do so. This. they
affirm. Article Y does. They object
to putting Congress and the United
States government in a position
where they would have to break
faith in exercising a full discretion
on the issue, war or no war. Mr..
| Cox's reservation that Article X is
to be interpreted in accord with the
constitution does not. therefore. con-
tain the slightest concession to the
real objection of the Senators to this
article.
Cox Following Wilson.
Mr. Wilson has not refused to
consider interpretative reservations.
! Indeed. during the controversy in
the Senate he expressly indicated a
| willingness to do so. Gov Cox's
suggestion of his two reservations
/ ,iriIlippnaSS