The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-05-07
UNITED STATES
AND ARMENIA
CONTRIBUTED

After an unsuccessful search for a
secondary power willing to take the
responsibility and to foot the bill of
an Armenian mandate the powers in
conference at San Reno have once
take UP the task. In the formal re-
quest received at Washington the ar
bitration of the differences over the
boundaries Is left to President Will
son.
This of course is not the first ap-
peal nor will it be the last. For the
powers will never accept as final any
refusal from Washington no matter
how emphatic so long as they believe
that there is any possibility OF the
carefully fostered kinship between un-
fortunate Armenia and America bear
ing its altruistic fruit.
There can be no doubt of the sin
certify Of the desire on the part of
great powers to do something for Ar
menia. The many futile attempts to
set her up as a going sovereignty Of
fer proof Of this. Since the impossible
ity of leaving the responsibility at
the door of Canada, Spain or Sweden
has been shown, the genial allied pre-
miers have requested the League OF
Nations to take over the cares Of a
foster parent. With the reply of that
body that it was willing, provided that
the powers would support an inter-
national loan to facilitate the start of
tho new republic, the correspondence
ceased.
Every d. tbe f,s Of the Airmen-
ian appeal staged by the foreign offices
of Great Britain, France and Italy Is
becoming more apparent. In their an
xiety to be rid of the problem the
premiers are not waiting so long for
the last proposal and rejection to be
forgotten before placing again before
America her apparent responsibility
10 foster the new republic of the east.
We are told each time that way is OPP
en- that We are to be the judge of 1t
all and that the stage will be cleared
Of all other powers so that we might
work with free hand in the resto-a
ton of order in that most disordered
of spots. In general that is what is
placed before us but in fact every
suggestion that we have made every
proposition that we have rendered has
been carefully laid aside and the good
old general appeal has been brushed
off and placed before, not the state
department, blu the American people.
ground, it is well aware of the fact
that the Armenia offered us is shorn
of any economic benefit. 1t has asked
that Trizibond, a port on the Black
Sea, be given Armenia and has
been refused. 1t knows that to the
north of what the powers would like
tor call Armenia lies the wonderful oil
of the Caucasus. and to the south be-
yond Kurdish Hills lies the wonder
land Mesopotamia.
The state department has the Har
bord report, a practical document the
result of thorough study of the field
by a group Of practical men who have
covered the ground. and who have
made their recommendations as
Americans not as citizens of the
! world.
The altruism of America they have,
but it is tempered by their contract
| with the nationalistic selishness OF
Europe. In brief their recommendation
coming as direct report by Brigadier
General Harbord was that America
the seriousness of any step taking her
into the maelstrom of European poll
tics and that having definitely decid-
ed that question she should then con-
slider the merits of the Armenian
case keeping in mind the responsible
ity involved. Having decided in the az
frmative in the first question the Sec
ond should be approached from a
nationalist standpoint with the assur-
ance that there be reward somewhat
| in keeping with the chance involved
That this means is that in the belief
of the men who hive studied the sit
uation first hand. getting involved in
the Levantian middle in serious bust.
ness and that in the light Of the cur
rent behavior of Ill other powers
there is no reason why the United
State should not get, let us say
enough oil to the north or. trade &c
| tho west To nav the niner,S fee