Evening star., 1920-03-30
return Of TREATY
TO SENATE LIKELY
Member of Cabinet Points to
Difficulties in Way of
New Pact.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

New Pact.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
The treaty of Versailles which lies in
state at the White House will shortly be
sent back to the Senate or else foreign
governments will be notified that the
United States regretfully withdraws
from the obligations signed by her peace
commissioners at Paris, as well as the
terms Of the armistice. and must ask
for a reassembling Of the peace confer
ence and the negotiation of a new
treaty.
These alternatives are being considered
The chances are that the first alone will
be followed. for, no matter how bitter
the party strife, it is fnconceivable that
the President would confess to the rest
of the world the humiliating fact that
the United States does not intend to live
up to the pledges she made during the
war. namely. to cooperate with the rest
Of the allied powers in the enforcement
Of the terms Of peace.
Situation Crystallixing.
The situation here following the
temporary defeat of the treaty ten
days ago is just beginning to crystal
lize. For q time it seemed as IL the
executive branch of the government
would do nothing but watch the ef-
forts Of Congress to make peace by
joint resolution. But it begins to look
now as if at the psychological mo-
ment-possibly when the joint reso-
luton is up for passage or has been
vetoed by the President-the treaty
will be sent back to the Senate.
In order to get at the viewpoint of the
administration, the writer asked a men,
ber Of the cabinet to give his interpre-
tation of the present status of the
treaty. He said:
1T is not up to the proponents Of the
treaty to say what shall be done. Say
what you please about the personnel
they were duly appointed by the consti-
tutionally authorized executive and they
were fully empowered to negotiate a
treaty. That treaty is now the law
of Canada, England, France, Italy and
the world. 1t is international law to-
Congress to try to make peace by a
court-plaster resolution will not sue
ceed. We must come to the treaty Of
Versailles. A resolution Of Congress is
only onesided. Either We must accept
the treaty Of Versailles or negotiate q
new treaty.
"Treaty Like Body OF Caesar." :
How can that be done? ,l6hall we
ask other governments to reassembie
new treaty? But the treaty Of Yer
sailles is everywhere the accepted fact
Even Germany is bound by 1t. I am
afraid the men in Congress have not
yet begun to realize the full effect of
their frolic. They think they : have
killed the treaty. hut they have only
severely wounded It. It lies IKE the
wounds: U But What what aps sfdse the consplrasor.. @ %
saying. what Id the crafty Cassius doing,
what Is theamob murmuring? Have the
members OF Congress begun to think
what the great audience is saying or will
say when the full effect Of America s
action on. the treaty Is felt throughout
this country and the world?
that the war be ended by a treaty Of
peace. That ts the way the Consti-
tuition says that wars shall be ended.
If this treaty cannot pass 1t Is up to
the men who have killed It to offer q
substitute. A joint resolution is no
"a new treaty? But it must be the
executive branch of the government
who must negotiate 1t and with
whom? VIII the othersgoyernqents
osnsept xtc thes making u new
Of many interests. It was the labor
of many months. Many interests had
to be taken into consideration. Shall
the whole thing be reopened to please
the Senate Of the United States or
shall America simply take herself
definitely out Of any contracts or OBJ.
legations with the rest Of the world
and repudiate her own pledges and
promises made publicly to the rest
of the world during the war and In
the very terms Of the armistice under
which hostihties ceased? am not
saying this will be done. Congress 10
temporizing with expedients. Per-
haps it would be wiser to let Congress
demonstrate hrst the futility Of its
own course"
Property and Trade Involved.
The foregoing was said in no spirit
Of bitterness, but with an earnestness
which indicated that the administra-
ton would not sit by and allow the
country to get the impression that the
mere passage of joint resolution IL
a sufficient expedient by which to ex-
tricate the United States from the
tangles Of war. especially as they re-
late to property and many advantages
to foreign trade which are expected to
accrue under a treaty.
1t is a fact incidentally that foreign
governments throughout the world.
the United States in the war against
Germany. have not been notified by
our government that the treaty Is
dead. Prime Minister Lloyd George
spoke the truth in the house Of COM
mons yesterday when he said he was
unaware that the United States had
rejected the treaty. It Is simply un-
acted upon. President, Wilson at the
right time will send it back to the
Senate, probably with a message urg-
ing again its ratification, for under
the provisions Of the Constitution of
the United States q treaty can always
be kept before the Senate. That as
where the President will eventually
put it-there to remain until the Sem
ate has acted favorably or the nation
has rendered its verdict at the polls
Copyright. 1920.)