Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-10
Ry WILLIAM ii. TAFT


Copyright. 1890, bv Public Ledger Co.
MIR. WILSON is running true to
AHI form" His one track mind mani
tests itself again. In the fourteenth
point of his message of January s,
1918, he outlined Article Y. He it was
who put it into the treaty. He left his
mark on the treaty in two particulars;
first, in framing Article y, and, second,
in his opposition to courts and the de-
velopment by them Of international law.
He thus weakened much the machinery
for the settlement of controversies in
the league, and left the provisions in
this regard such that all concede the
necessity for amending them.
1t is this feature of the treaty which
Mr.. Root has been invited by the other
nations, and not by Mr.. Wilson, to
assist in Strengthening and reframing.
Article Y is unquestionably an i'm
portant part of the treaty in its declara-
tory effect and in its warning to robber
nations One may well regret its being
weakened. Practically. however, Art
Gle XVI and Article XVII, holding all
nations to a penalizing universal boy
colt of a nation which begins war in
breach Of its convenant, are more i'm
portant. They come into operation at
once upon the beginning of war, while
Article Y will generally not have ap-
plication to a war until its purpose OF
conquest is made manifest. But Mr..
Wilson is unable to see any good in the
treaty when his particular part Of it is
weakened and so he is prepared to
throw it over entirely aud sacrifice the
80 per cent value of the treaty because
of loss of 10 per cent.
That difference between the effective
ness of the treaty without the reserva
tions and that of the treaty with them
is, according to the judgment of Mr.
Hoover, who was in Paris during the
entire making of the treaty and who is
as we'll advised as to its probable prac
tical usefulness as any man living.
Mr.. Wilson ignores the situation in
which he will find himself when the
tiring gracefully from the league. His
idea of grace apparently is in his tact
| full reference to France and its present
government, so well calculated to pro-
mote good feeling between us and our
allies. His criticism of Article Y is
| apparently directed as much against the
reservations to that article, which a
majority of the Democratic senator's
have already offered to the Republicans,
as it is against the Lodge reservations
on the subject,
Indeed there is no distinction in sub
stance between these reservations.
1t is perfectly apparent that the Dem
ocratic senators would like to ratify
the treaty and that Mr.. Wilson, in
what he says, has greatly troubled
them. 1t is not likely, however, that
| they will have the courage to put the
concrete responsibility on him of re-
iecting the treaty.
They will probably assume 1t them
selves for party reasons.
Mr.. Wilson by his course has sue
ceeded in doing what seemed impos
! sible. In the beginning he had the
support and sympathy of the people Of
the nations with whom this treaty was
made. He had the support of his own
party and Of substantial group of the
Republican party. He had the support
of a group of active, prominent men
who had favored league long before
he embraced the idea, and who have
been constant in upholding it ever
since. He has succeeded in alternating
all of these supporters, though he has
perhaps retained, through the strength
of party cohesion and not through
any real agreement or sympathy with
his view, enough Of his party colleagues
| in the Senate TO wreck that which
would have stood in the history as his
work, emitting him to the gratitude of
the world.
Mr.. Wilson says that unless he re-
tains Article Y as he drafted 1t in the
treaty he cannot look into the faces OF