El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-02-14
By FRANK n. sTlIONDs.

cline 10 ratify the treaty as writtei
would be to desert Europe
Americans have believed that Euro
peans generally recognized the divi-
sion OF authority in the matter Of
treaty making in our system OF gov
eminent and that this criticism OF the
senate's course was actually the fruit
Of desire rather than Of conviction;
that the desire to see the treaty rati-
fled as written. led to criticism and
allegation not actually believed
Leaders Spoke With Authority.
This has not been the fact, in the
larger number Of instances In all
OF Europe, the men who actually
represented the nations at Paris
were, in addition, the responsible
leaders Of the majorities in the sew
eral parliaments- Lloyd George was
able to speak for the British govern
ment and his signature carried the
later approval Of the house Of COM
mons with IL, because he was leader
OF the majority in the house
lfore than once George was com
PEELED TO modify his positions at
Paris, because they were unsatis-
factory 10 the majority in the house
Of commons. Thus the British parlia-
ment expressed its will in a certain
measure, during the actual making Of
the treaty A population by parlia-
ment afterwards would thus be IN
thinkable and in a degree a repudia-
upon
OF course our situation Is quite
different, but the appreciation OF
our situation was not generally
understood in Europe. While the
president was in Paris he, and
those with him. spoke for the
United States without qualifica-
ton. To Europe the president
seemed the official spokesman Of
the nafion and there was not the
smallest suspicion that there
could be any subsequent question:
ing OF his decision in the confer
ence.
Grey's frank letter puts this phase
Of the question correctly before the
British public and il is an odd but
unmistakable fact that It was neces-
sary that some Englishman Of his
eminence should do this because no
American statement on the subject
was sufficient or satisfactory 10 the
British public.
There is another aspect Of the ques-
ton which Grey could not explain
with equal frankness for obvious
reasons-4 Underlying all else in the
American attitude, popular rather
than official, has been the instinct
against an actual commitment Of the
United States to European entangle-
ments, an instinct which has been dis
closed IN British history for these
centuries. From Cromwell TO Lloyd
George, Britain has interviewed in con-
contests innumerable times,
when these contests threatened to af-
feet British interests adversely, under
at least recalling our
Intervention in the world war
Britain Resumes Isolation.
But invariably, after the immediate
danger has been disposed of, Great
Britain has retired from the Euro
peon field and resumed that "splen-
did isolation" from which she was
called.
At Paris II was apparent that
what Britain was seeking to do
WIS 90 reduce her own ObliEa-
lions and commitments on the
: continent, but this time her course !
was TO seek such reduction by
insurinE the association with her
self Of the Uufted states.
Tho American instinct however.
was plainly revealed in this country .
TO be in favor Of American with B
irawaL. alike from European and O.
from British partnerships. What the !
United States seemed to want was TO. I
resume that complete freedom from &
.oreign obligations, IN the sense OF =
treaty commitments which existed
before we entered the world war.