New-York tribune., 1920-02-24
Serving Two Ideals


ervations which the Hitchcock group
of Senators says it is willing to
accept and the reservations the
Lodge group has voted for, there is
little likelihood of further profitable
discussion. The Emergencies are
confessedly slight-almost micro
scopic. There seems more pride
than principle in the deadlock.
The duty now laid on every
sincere friend of ratification is to
leave nothing undone to create an
atmosphere that will lead the little
divided groups of ratification Sena-
tors to get together. The big thing
is to obtain approval of the treaty
and entry into the league of ma
tlons. We want neither sepa-
rate negotiations with Germany nor
aloofness from the only interna-
tional council that now exists. Com
mon sense forbids that stubborn
ness with respect to relatively small
matters should allow Senator Borah
and his fifteen followers to dictate
the foreign policy of this country
against the declared wishes of
f!ve-siXths majority of the Senate.
President Wilson will net reign for
ever, and, although he is and has
been the chief obstacle to ratifca-
ton, the Senate may we'll forget
him.
The covenant as drawn was OBJ
no,.:cus to all whose hearts respond
to tse deep and sacred things of
mai ;.lism. 1t presented the league
rs Q scheme for the establishment
of al overlooking internationalism
tbs gave Mr.. Borah his chance.
UnceAditional ratification was OBJ
Nlcusly impossible. Alarmed, and
justly alarmed, nationalism had to
be Ga eted. The contribution of the
fe.olNationists has been a recon-
c,i.@zion of the claims of national
isn. end irternationalism. In this
sens. they sought to "Americani2e"
the covenant, and whichever set of
reservations goes through it may be
sad they have achieved the essen
tl;..s Of their undertaking. AS long
as there is preserved to Congress the
right to Judge in particular cases
whether Article X applies our ma
t:oNai independence is not mcnaced.
':hc wcrld stands between two
ide&,s, both of which it would have
reaizcd. 1t clings to the sentiments
associated with fatherland. 1t
delights in the luxuries of feeling
assce. atod with patriotism. On the
other hand come the practical de
man's of world harmony What has
happened since the armistice, as we'll
as what happened before, shows that
another world war means world de-
structon In the fires nationalism,
like everything else, would be con-
sumed. So those who plead for a
greater world synthesis are serving
nationallsm. The two ideas supple
ment, rather than contradict, each
other - are as compatible as the
existence of the family and the state
at the same time.
We are driven on by the inexo-
rabie logic of events. The nations
must come closer together or they
will perish. The league in itself is
weak. IN many respects is pitifully
inadequate, but it is a planting, and
the seed may grow
America always has stood for
the greatest practicable association
of the nations 1t has led the world
IN eagerness to adhere to arbitra-
ton and to substitute counsel and
agreement for the arbitrament Of
war. This is an old, not new. na.
tional policy, and Lodge, rather than
borah, is the champion of sound and
time tried Americanism.
--.rs.s~->