Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-11-08
EX-SENATOR ROOT
ADVISES AGAINST
SCRAPP|NG LEAGUE
Says to Abandon Versailles
Treaty Would Bring Dis
aster, Involving U. S.
TEXT OF HIS CABLEGRAM
FROM LONDON ON ISSUE
Would Modify Covenant to Con-
form to Senate Reservations-Fa-
vors Americanization Idea.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Elihu Root has advised Senator
Harding that "a new deal from the
beginning by abandoning the peace
treaty Of Versailles is impossible and
that to attempt 1t would bring chaos
and an entire loss of the results Of
the war and general disaster involv-
ing the United States"
This advice. it now can be disclosed,
was given by cablegram from London
by Mr.. Root during the latter part of
August and was an effort to keep Sem
ator Harding from adopting the ex-
treme position on the treaty and
league which Senator Johnson was
advocating.
The cablegram was sent partly as a
result of an inquiry by Will Hays,
chairman of the republican national
committee, as to whether The Hague
court could not be so defined as to in
clude the work supposed to be the OBJ
ject of the league of nations. Also
there is an interesting story of what
happened at Marion when the cable
from Mr.. Root arrived. First of all,
this correspondent presents exclusive
1y today in The Evening Star the ideas
of Mr.. Root as cabled to a man who
was stopping in Marion during the
latter part of August and who showed
the cablegramr to Senator Harding.
Text Of the Rsot Cable.
Here Is what Mr.. Root cabled:
Declaration on. which Hays asks an
opinion cannot be defined. The Hague
court cannot be made to cover any
thing but justiciable questions. Mat
tiers Of state policy must be dealt
with by conference of powers. See
explanation in my letter to Hays Of
March. 1919. 1t is very unwise to de-
clara the len
would not be true. The league has
hardly begun to function because the
terms OF peace have not yet been en-
forced by the victorious nations. Pol
erly being handled by the foreign of
fices without any reference to the
league. They are not the leagues
business.
In my opinion. a new deal here
Versailles treaty is Impossible. To at
tempt it would bring chaos and an
entire loss of results Of the war and
general disaster involving the United
States. The only possible course is to
keep the treaty. modifying It to meet
the requirements o fthe Senate reser-
rations and tn Chicago platform and
probably in some other respects.
The precise way in which some
notifications can be best made must
be determined at the time in confer
ence with the other parties 1t is i'm
possible to forecast the methods be-
cause conditions next March are
necessarily uncertain. Now the cen
trail idea is that the deadlock re-
suited from President Wilson's per-
verse refusal to negotiate for the con-
sent of other powers to Americaniza-
ton of the treaty, but that our new
administration will secure that con-
sent.
"A separate declaration of peace was
justified only by President Wilson's
refusal to act. After March 4 that
will no longer be justifable, unless
other powers refuse to consent to
modification, which 1 do not anticf-
pate. Don't allow Cox to drive you
off the ground of Harding's Senate
vote and our platform. Keep to the
simple issue, ,Americanization."
By examining the dates of the
speeches in which Senator Harding
discussed the treaty and league Of ma
tions during the months Of September
and October it will be noticed that
nothing was said publicly by Mr..
Harding, which Elihu Root, at any
rate. interpreted as a contradiction of
the advice given. Mr.. Root continued
10 support Harding and made
L H..
october. reiterating his own views on
article X, and urging the election of
Harding.
In Marion. however. during the past
week che writer learned that Elihu
Root was not held in the same high
favor on questions Of foreign policy
as he appeared to be in Washing
ton and New York and other parts of
the country where it had been con-
fidently believed that Mr.. Root would
be the backbone of the Harding ad-
Ininistration on foreign policy. In
deed 1T will be noted that in most
all the dispatches sent out from
Marion giving gossip about the future
cabinet. Mr.. Root was not named for
Secretary of State. 1t also is de-
Clared that when the Root cablegram
came from Europe, Senator Harding
showed his displeasure. Whether he
communicated his criticism to Mr..
Root is not known to the writer, but
from the fact that the former Secre-
tary Of State at later date made a
public speech urging the election of
Harding on the league issue. the in
was not acquainted with any such
sisapproyal Indeed the only evi-
Gence presented publicly that Senator
Harding is disposed to disagree with
Nir. Root came after the election and
curing the past week, when in an
N"i icSs ~ tht III o"0S WIN SdhC "
cheer him at Marion. Senator Hard
ing spoke of the election verdict and
then referred to the treaty of YER
sailles as deceased" Mr.. Root had
Cabled that it was very unwise to
declare the league dead"
Treaty's Friends Not without Hope.
Friends of the treaty. however.
1avc not lost hope, and the few who
know about Mr.. Roots cablegram
believe that Senator Harding must
inevitably accept the Root view. As
for the explanation made in March,
1919, in the letter sent by Mr.. Root
To Will Hays. the reference to the
Hague court in that communication Is
Is follows:
There was a weakness in the sys-
TN devised by The Hague confer
"nce. 1t was that arbitration of justi-
able questions was not made obliga-
tory. SO that no nation could bring an
other before the court unless the de-
f.ndant was willing to come, and
:nere was no way to enforce judg-
rGent."
After declaring that in his judg-
J'ant strictly "justiciable or judicial
sestions' should be obi gatory, Mr.
..pt wrote that the United States
ght TO be willing so far as such
Iestions were concerned to stand
-'Hrecisely on the same footing as
Ut,.er nations" but that with regard
n questions of policy some difficult
considerations are apparent" He
sdded, however: The great and es'