The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-30
 ARMENIAN MANDATE IS LIKE FONDL|NG AMONG POLITICIANS Colby's Attitude Has Con- vinced Washington That
 Even Wilson Is Not
 Enthusiastic
By CLINTON w. GILBERT

not going to be brought up among the Wilson children, but let out to the care of some baby farmer.
 Even Senator Hitchcock, ever faith full, has indicated coldness. The democratic party acts as if if it would be glad to forget the President's tn- discretion.
 The most singular behavior of all Is MT. Colby's. The Secretary of State probably is the most loyal Wilson man in Washington. He was chosen for his place because of his loyalty He is what Colonel House would have been before the Colonel was suspected of Ft being victim of the English, if the Colonel had happened to be Secretary of State. Does Mir. Colby act if the heart of the world would break if this country did not accept a mandate for Armenia?
 Not at all After the President had sent his message on Armenia MT. Colby did not lift finger to get Congress to vote the executive authority to take charge of the new country.
 COLBY SENDS SUBSTITUTE
 When the Senate foreign relations committee asked MT. Colby to come up to the capitol and explain to 1t just why his country should take up the proposed duty in the orient, MT. Colby sent word that he was too busy. As a substitute, he directed MT. Carr to attend the committees hearing and tell it what he knew about Armenia. MT. Carr is a non-political person. He does not speak as democrat. He is per manent adjunct of the state depart ment. As head of the consular service. he was calculated to know little about Armenia and to care less. Mr. Colby, 1t is said, declared he was not only too busy to talk about Armenia. but that he knew nothing about Armenia. He gave the impression of not caring. either. Supposing President Wilson to be passionately devoted to the man. date would MT. Colby have been too busy to go to the capitol? Would MT. Carr have gone as his substitute?
 When you mention the Armenian mandate to democratic politician. he exclaims: "rhe poor old democratic party. The League of Nations with out letter of the covenant changed. Money and soldiers to protect Ar menia, and Palmer's campaign man aged by the opposing counsel in the big fraud suits which he has to prose- cute What Is going to happen to us?'
 They do not want Armenia as an is- sue in the campaign. Like Mr. Colby, they are too busy and they don't know anything about 1t.
 NOT MERELY THE COST
 It is not merely the cost of the man. date and the obligation it would ere ate of sending American soldiers abroad which makes the democrats shiver at the word Armenia. Dis patchessfrom abroad make the issue worse. These dispatches say that al- lied Europe would like to have an American military barrier against the entrance of the bolsheviki into Turkey. | Armenia is at the point of possible tuncture between the Moslem world and the Russian red forces. An Ameri- can force at this point thrusting Mus tapha Renal out of Armenia would. say the dispatches, discredit the Turk ish nationalist leaders. stabilize Tur- kew and make the Turkish treaty work able.
 In other words. an American force in the Orient would make the job of Eng land and France there easier. Argu- ments like these bring up the whole question of American entanglement in foreign affairs in it's acutest form, and the democratic politicians do not want 1t in any more acute form than the League of Nations proposal pre- sents.
 There is admittedly some demand for the Armenia mandate in church CIT cles. Foreign missions favor Ameri- can protection for this Christian peo- pie in the Orient, and after Americans make many expressions of interest in Armenia 1t is difficult to refuse aid to Armenia now that she is free
 But the democratic politicians feel that this sentiment is not sufficient 10 overcome the general unwillingness 10 undertake responsibilities in that quar- ter of the globe. They think that by has considerably lessened democratic chances of success in November.
 PRESIDENT NOT ENTHUSIASTIC
 Washington judges from MT. Colby s coolness on Armenia that the President will not press niS request upon OOH- gress It Is thought here that like the French alliance. the Armenian mandate will be abandoned. The Presi- dent will feel that he has fulfilled all his obligations to his associates al Paris. MT. Wilson at Paris let himself be carried away by the atmosphere q the negotiations. He forgot how his programme would sound on this side of the water. He committed himself te the French alliance as a means of se- curing French adhesion to the League of Nations, together with French ac' ceptance of boundary between France and Germany consistent with the fourteen points. Having done so he had to go through with his bar gain to the extent of recommending A the treaty to the Senate. There 1 languishes.
 m . similar way he seems to hayt committed himself to Ve Armenian mandate. In view of MT. Colby's at titude 1t is doubtful whether he hal any more enthusiasm for the Armen ian mandate now than he has for ths French treaty of alliance.