The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-09

Viscount Grey of Falloden, until recent ly special ambassador of Great Britain to the United States, wrote a letter to the London Times last week, which has aroused widespread discussion, some of it of a sensational nature both in Amer ica and in Europe. In view of the inter est in the subject The Age-Herald this morning reproduces in full the viscount's letter:
 Sir Nothing, it seems to me, is more desirable in international politics than good understanding between the demo- cracy of the United States, on the one hand, and the democracies of Great Bri- tain and the self-governing domirions, ard. l hope we may add Ireland, on the other Nothing would be more dis astrous than a misunderstanding and estrangement.
 There are some aspects of the posi- ton in the United States with regard to the League of Nations which are not wholly understood in Great Britain. In the hope that as a result of my recent stay in Washington l may be able to make that position better understood 1 venture to offer the following observa- tions. They represent only my own per sonal opinion and nothing more, ana they are given simply as those Of a private individual.
 Tn Great Britain and the allied coun- tries there is naturally impatience and disa ppointment at the delay of the United States in ratifying the peace treaty and the covenant of the League of Nations. It is perhaps not so generally recognized here that there is also great impatience and disappointment in the United States. Nowhere is the impasse caused by the deadlock between the President and the Senate more keenly regretted than in the United States, where there is a strong and even u1gent desire in the public opinion 10 see way out of that imDasse found which will be both honorable to the United States and helpful to the world. 1t would be we'll to understand the real difficulties with which the peo- pie of the United States have been con fronted. In the clear light of right under stalding what seemed the disagreeable features of the siusation will assume more favorable and intelligible aspect.
 NO CHARGE OF BAD FAITH
 Let us first get rid of one possible misunderstanding. No charge of bad brought against the action of the United Stat tes Senate. By the American con stitution it is an independent body, an Independent element in the treaty-mak- ing power Its refusal to ratify the treaty cannot expose either itself or the country to a charge of bad faith or re- pundiation.
 Nor is it faith to represent the United States as holding up the treaty solely from motives of party politics, and thereby sacrificing the interests of the other nations for this petty considera- tion.
 Tt is true that there are party poi- tics and personal animosities in the United States An American who saw much of England between 1880 and 1890 said that the present conditions of poli- tics in the United States reminded him of what he had observed in London when Gladstone first advocated home rule for Ireland. Party politics and personal anil mosities arising out of them operate in every democratic country. They are fac tors varying from time to time in de- gree, but always more or less active, and they operate upon every public question which is at all controversial They are, however, not the sole, or even the prime cause of the difficulty in the United States about the League of Nations
 Nor is it true to say that the United States is moved solely by self-nterest to the disregard of higher ideals In sneg United States. as in other countreS there are cross-eurrents and backwatefs in the national life and motives. When the nation was reused by the war these cross-currents and backwaters were swept into the main stream of action and obiiterated, as they were in other coun- tries. With the reaction to peace and more normal conditions they are again apparent. as they in other countries But an American might fairly reply that whereas the self-interest of other couJl- tries which have conquered in the war is now apparent in the desire to secure special territorial advantages, the self interest of the United States takes the less aggressive form of desiring to keep itself free from undesirable entangle- ments, and that it does not lie with other countries to reporachf the United States.
 It would be We'll therefore, for the reasons both of truth and Sexpediency, to concentrate our attention on the real underlying causes of the Senates insist ence upon reservations ip ratifying the covenant of theI League of Nations
 4