The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-10
WILSON'S LETTER
HELPS CLEAR AIR
ON TREATY ACTION
BY David LAWRENCE.
Especial Correspondent Of The News
Scimitarl

Scimitar.l
WASHINGTON, Feb. l0.--As the
senate takes up once more the job OF
trying to reach an agreement of the
form in which the peace treaty shall
be ratified, the most significant piece
of news is that President Wilson has
said explicitly just what reservations
ne would accept.
Though his advisers have been urg
ing him for months to do so. Mr.. Viii
son, for reasons of his own, has stead
lastly refused to erase from the public
mind the impression that he wanted
the treaty ratified by the senate with
out so much as the crossing of ~
or the dotting of an 81"
Though the presidents concession is
belated, it is. nevertheless, vital and
clears the atmosphere to this extent.
Both the president and his opponents
favor reservations and the debate now
centers on how many shall there be, and
what they shall contain.
The senate again and again refused
by its votes to amend the treaty, and
Mr.. Wilson is determined that, under
the guise of reservations, amend
ments shall not be made that impair
the validity of the whole document.
She Republicans however, have been
strengthened by the utterance of Wis.,
count Grey, to the effect that Europe
would accept reservations. Everything
now depends upon the form in which
they are presented.
Senator Lodge admits that some OF
his reservations were drawn rather
hastily and put into the debate at
moment when careful revision was not
possible.
Once in the debate they could not be
redrafted though the bipartisan con-
ference recently made good progress
toward revising the Lodge reserVa-
tions.
It was on article 10 that the break
came The fact that President wilson
wrote a letter at that time-Jan. %
outlining his views on reservations was
not made known until last saturday
to the Democrats or Republicans. Here
was a tactical error of regrettable pro
portions. The responsibility is plainly
on the shoulders OF the president Tor
Senator Hitchcock himself Warted 10
make that letter public.
1t was written before Niscomt Grey
wrote his letter to the London Times.
1t would have revealed that the presi-
dent was not stubbornly trying to get
the treaty through without any quaint
cations whatsoever, and might haEe
prevented the bipartisan parleys from
breaking up.
And there is no telling how far ad-
Vanced the treaty situation would nave
been months ago if the president had
permitted Senator Hitchcock to say last
November what he now authorizes nm
tn state to the senate. namely, that the
president approves OF reservations 10
Here are the reservations which Pres
ident Wilson refers to in his letter 10
Senator Hitchcock as those on "hlch
he stands: .-
That any member nation proposing
to withdraw from the league on TWO
months notice is the sole judge as 10
whether it's obligations referred to IN
article / of the league OF nations nave
been performed as required Ill Sdiu
article. ,, l.,
That no member nation is required TO
submit to the league, it's council or us
assembly for decision, report or RECON-
mendatiOn any matter which IL cohsiu-
ers to be in international law 10
nestle question, such as lninlgF attoll'
labor tariff or other matter relauhg
r. its internal or coastwise affairs.
",That the national policy OF the Unit
ed States known as the Monroe DOC
trine. as announced and Interpreted, by
the United states, 1t not IN any way ltn
paired or affected by the covenant OF
the league of nations and is not subJecl
to any. decision, report OF inquiry ny
the council or assembly.
''That the advice mentioned IN ar
ticle 10 of the covenant OF the leagut
which the council may give 10 th'
member nations as to 1he eIhploylileiii !,
of their naval or military forces Il
merely advice which each member ma
tion is free to accept or reject accord
ing to the conscience or judgment o
its then existing government ana ~
the United States this advice can only
be accepted by action OF the congress
the time in being, congress alone uhuel
the constitution Of the United States
having the power to declare war
~That in the case of a dispute between
members of the league If one OF tnen
have self governing colonies, domnlon'
1, III, lnNr
the assembly, each and all are TO On
considered parties to the dispute ant
the same shall be the rule If one o
the parties to the dispute is sell
governing colony, dominion or part, II
which case all other eit-goVerhlng col
onies. dominiOns or parts as well a
fine nation as a whole shall be consld
cred parties to the dispute and eacl
and all shall be disqualified from nav
ing their votes counted in case of an,
inquiry on said dispute made by tn
assembly"
reservations are so drawn that any ma
ton may avail itself of the same in
terpretation of the covenant which TN
United States reserves to itself.
Under the Lodge reservations, it /
not clear whether the United State
alone would have the power to decid
what is the meaning of advice" give
by the council or whether every natio
is free to accept or reject the advice o
the council when that nation Is not
party to the dispute and is asked t
contribute toward preserving peace.
In other words, the president seem
to be anxious not to convey the impress
sion that America is selfish, asking TO
reservations. and is not willing to lie
other countries apply the same inter
probation of the peace treaty to thei
own countries
This is forcibly brought out in tn
difference between the wording of tn
Hitchcock reservation given above an
the phraseology Of the Lodge reseI
Vation which starts ont with the dec
laration 1.-The United States assumes n
obligation under article 10, etc, unles
the congress shall AUTHORIZE
What the president seems to fear
that if the reservation in question
specified, it will convey the idea tina
the United States is pulling out of tn
league before it even gets started an
that other nations will begin to sa
they assume no obligations either unit
the whole structure or moral fore
which has been built up in an effoi
to prevent future wars will not
worth the paper upon which it is writ
ten.
For instance, the value of article II
as the president sees it, is that whetf
err not there is pledge to use tn
army and navy of the United States t
preserve the territorial integrity of an
nation whose boundaries have bee
violated by an invading army tn
IF.Ntt