The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-11-09
Completely New Deal
By Abandoning League
Impossible, Says Root
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Copyright BY The IntcllSencer

the peace treaty Of Versailles is !mpCS
sible and that to attempt II would bring
chaos and an entire loss Of the results
OF the war and general disaster lavolv-
ing the United States"
This advice. II now can be disclosed.
was given by cablcsram from London
by Nr. Root during the latter part OF
August and was an effort to keep Sem
Rtor Harding from adopting thu en-
trcme position on the treaty and league
which Senator Johnson Was advocating.
The caolegram was sent partly as
result Of an inquiry by VIII Hays;
chairman Of the Republican national
committee. aS to whether The Hague
court could not be SO defined as to In
ciude IN" work supposed 10 he the OBJ
tect Of n" League OF Nations. Also.
there ~ an interesting story OF what
happened AZ Marion when the cabl"
from Mr.. Root arrived. First OF ali.
this correspondent presents exclusive
ly today IN thu lntell!gencer the ideas
Of Mr.. Root aS cah!cd 70 man who was
stopping Ia Marion during the latter
part OF August and who showed the
cablegram 10 Senator Harding. Here
IS what Mr Root cablcd:
Roots CablegrAm.
"D"claratiun On which Hays asks an
opinion cannot he defined The Hague
court cannot BE made 10 cover anything
but just!hable Questions MattyrS Of
state p"iiCS must De- dealt with by con-
ference ot powrrE. SEQ explanation in
my letter 10 Hays Of March. 1919. 1t is
very unwise d ,dcclar., the league dead.
II Mould not be true. The
league has hardly hogan to function be-
cause tho terms rc peace have not yet
bscn enforced BY IN" Victorious nations.
Polish quc>uous for example are prop
"rIy being handIdd by the foreign Of
hCeS without any reference 70 the
league. They ar" not the leagues bust
ness.
In my opinion a new deal here from
the beginning BY rhlnd"ntng Versailles
treaty i mp pSSib" T" attempt |.
would brink chaos anG entire loss OF re-
. suits nf ~" war and general disaster in
volving The United States. The only
possible COURSE IS 10 keep the treaty
modifying u l" meet the requirements
Of the senate rrs' rvationS and the Chi
cago platform and probably in some 9TH
er respects.
Tho prcviSr way IN which some mod
ificat tionS can DC best made must De de-
term!ned At the time In conference with
The other parties. II is impossible u
forecast tho methods because conditions
next March are necessarily uncertain.
Vow the central idea Is that the dead
!ock resulted from President Wilson e
perYcrSe refusal 70 negotiate FOR the
consent OF other powers to AmericantIa-
tion Of the treaty but that our new ad-
ministra tion will secure that consent
"a sepa rate declaration OF peace was
iustihed only by President wilson's re-
ruSal to act. After March fourth that
will no longer be justifable unless
other powers refuse 70 consent 10 mod
!tication which do not anticipate
Don't allow Cox to drive you of the
ground ot Harding's senate vote and
aur platform. Keep 10 tho simple Issue
Not disputed BY Harding.
BY examining the dates Of the speech
* In which Senator Harding discussed
the treaty and the league OF nations
nf
october II will he noticed that nothing
was said publicly by Mr.. Harding
which Elihu Enot. ut any rate inter
preted ~ n contradiction OF tho ADVICE
given for Mr.. Root himself continued
10 support Harding and made speech
,t carnegie Hall, New York. In October
reiteratinE his own views ON Article
10 and urging the election or harding.
In Marion. however. during the past
week, the writer learned THAI Eiihu
Root was not held in the same hlgn
fayor on questions Of foreign policy as
hs appeared to be IL Washington ana
New York and other p. rts OF the country
where Il had been confidently believed
that Mr.. Root would be the backbone
II the Harding admin Nstratton on Tor
that in almost all the dispatches sent
3ut from Marion giving gossip about
,he future cabinet. Mr.. Root was not
named for secretary OF state. IL Is
,,so declared that wrcn the Root
..ablegram came from Europe. senator
Harding showed ms SIs u,SpnrWS nr1tIcis.
Whether ne communicated his crltiCis-
ism 10 Mr. Root Is not known TO the
writer but from tho fact that tho form-
cr secretary Of state at latter uaI0
made a public speech urging the eiec-
lion Of Senator Harding on the league
issue. the int"r"nc" may De ut"mn 80
hat Mr. Root was not acquainted win
nv such ,nsaprpvat Indeed the only
r,idsncr presented publicly that Scna-
tor Harding 10 disposed TO dlSaHree
with Mr.. Root came after the election
and during tho past week "hen IN
N address, 10 the crowds VINO came
~ cheer him at Marion Senator Harding
sDoka of tho election verdict and then
rnFrrred 70 the treaty OF NcrsalLes as
deceased" Mr. Root had caoled that
4 vas very unwise 70 declare inc lea
que dead.
,ot lost hope ana The few who know
,bou, Mr.. Roots cablegram believe that
senator Harding must IneEtaoiy accePt
;hc Root view. ~ for tho explanation
mad" In March. lal9. IN tnr IeHSSr ss,S
nv Mr.. Zoo, TO Will Hays. IN" reference
70 the Hagu" court In tha' co'''''ui'''
tIUn Is az follows: ..,,o,,,
.'rhere was a weakness in the system
tsyisc hr the Hague conference. ~
Vas that arbitration OF JustlnaoIe
ncstious was no. made ooiiSatory so
,ha+ no nation could bring oerore the
.omrt unless the defendant was Wiling
TO como. and there WAS no ""' "
FORCE - Judgment. ,,
Af,er declaring that In his Judgment
,-irt,v UNSUITABLE or judicial ques-
,fnnS" should be obligatory. Mr.. Root
wrote that the United States ought 20
ne willing so far AS questions were con.
.Arnad 10 stand precisely on the SANE
footing rs other nations nut tnA1 dI1.
ra1ard TO questions OF policy. some OH
ncnIt considerations are apparent. ne
ddad however. The great and essen
,laI thing about the plan contained IN
The covenant OF the league or nations
9 that Il makes international confer
rnceS on political questions cS1nPulsV,is
IN times OF danger: that IL orinSs 70
gethar such conferences upon the call
Of officers who represent all the pow
ers and make II practically impossIoie
Tor any nation TO keep out OF them
International Conference
Mr.. Root praised the scheme TOT IN
ternational conference but pointed out
some Of It's serious defects. The I'M
portant thing. however. IS that Mr.. Root
rabled Senator Harding from London
after a personal observation or Euro
pean affairs that the structure OF the
present treaty and the league was
worth preserving and was by no means
dead Some people VIII profess 10 see
= clear break between Senator Harding
and Mr.. Root Others are confident that
Senator Harding VIII do the right thing
when he calls q conference Of the
value OF Mr.. Roots judgment will then
he fully tested. The Root cahlegrnm
which Il IS only fair 10 say he did not
give out for publication Is the del!b-
rate Judgment Of man who was sec
retary OF state under President Roose-