Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-11-12
Views of President-Elect
Find Sympathy in Hughes,
Root, Schurmann, Taft.
BlTTER-ENDER SENATOR'S
ARE NOT IN ALIGNMENT
Plan of Action on Association OF
Nations May Be Forecast by
Choice of Secretary Of State.
nv n q, MESSENGER.

It can be stated authoritativeiy that
President-elect Harding. IN contem-
Mating creation of an association OF
Nations to preyent wars. finds his
mind running more sympathetIcaily
with the views of Mr.. Taft, Mr. ROOT
Jacob Gould Schurman ana Charies
f.. Hughes than with those OF the IT.
reconcilable senators.
Also is it true that the group OF
pro-leaguers mentioned are many
convinced, with Senator HARDING Ina'
the principle of article x OF the YER
sailles treaty cannot be included IN
the covenant of any proposed league
which this country is to enter:
Apparently, President Harding IN
selecting his cabinet VIII encoun'e
most difficulty in deciains 1pon That "a
choice for Secretary of State. Inat Is
to say. he will be pulled and hauleo
by advisers, suggesters ana plv
testers more strenuously over thls
appointment than the others ne musl
make.
Based ON Popular Impressien'
This prospect is based upon the pre-
vailing popular impression tnat the the
known or conjectured views OF the
appointee on the league OF nations
NAV indicate the attitude OF the ao-
ministration toward a league. II tne
Secretary of State were an lrreconua-
able of the Johnson-Borah type II Is
assumed the public would e1pect nus.
tility to any league. II a man OF tue
Root type, they would forecast some
kind of an association of nations.
Senators take distinct issue with
this popular assumption ana snAEpty
call attention to the fact that the sec
refary of State is not to commit tniS
nation to q league of nations, nor
even the President to do so. Inc
senate OF the United States will take
care Of that question in its wisdom
and it's own time The Secretary Oh
state and the President may recom-
even influence the Presidents recon-
mendation, and theu-period
Senators are assured In advanco
that President Harding Will not as
sumo to impose his own opinion up0n
of nations The assurance has caused
gratification, Tor senatof1 OF cceAl
parties still retain vivid recollection
Of what happened in the last session
of Congress-
win PrsAf ~ IGknshbranee.
They know that but for insistencA
of the executive to the contrary.
tors would have voted for ratification
of the Versailles treaty. with .the5
covenant of the league OF nations
modified by the reservations adopted
in the Senate on bipartisan vote, 70
constitute a two-thirds majority. a
Senator Harding knows 1t full well
and it is believed hardly likely that
he win fail to profit by the remem-
brance, but will take warning thereby
and avoid repetition Of executive domi-
nation of the treaty-ratifying branch Of
the government.
So, in the purview OF senator's. there
is no need for all this perturbation
over the selection Of Secretary OF
state, in so far as his influence upon
the actual framing of an association
of nations is concerned. The only ef-
feet of a choice Of individuals would
be in the impression 1t might make on
the country at the outset Of the new
administration. In. any event. one
shade of thought among the people Is
bound to be disappointed.
Not Alix.ed with Irreeoneflables.
Senators declare that it is a brash
man who would at this time under
take to prophesy what the Senate will
do with a suggested plan Tor an aSso-
citation of nations contemplating to
sailles league-the prevention of war.
The only patent fact now Is that
President-elect Harding is taking it
for granted that the people do not de-
sire the project abandoned altogether.
and that he intends to take it up
with leading minds in the country"
At least, it is declared, he has not
aligned himself with the irreconcilables
included in the johnson. Borah. Brande-
gee, Mccormick group. Otherwise he
would have echoed the post-election
announcement of Senator Borah that
'the league is dead" He might rather
say 'AThe league is dead-long live
league" What Senator Borah meant
was that all leagues are dead forever
more.
Campaign for Root.
Intimations from Marion soon after
election that E.lihu Root is unacceptable
10 the President-elect as prospective
Secretary of State served to arouse
vigorous campaign in Mr.. Roots be-
half. Influential newspapers in the
east have taken up with vigor a de-
mand for his selection, on the ground
that it would be guarantee Of good
faith in the statement that the incom-
ing President is really intent upon Great
ing an association of nations.
Some eminent republicans take the
position that Mr.. Root should be made
Secretary of State because, as they as
sert, he is the one American above all
others ''who commands the admiration
and confidence of statesmen of two con-
tinents" This view has been COM
municated to Senator Harding