New-York tribune., 1920-12-20
Harding Peace
Program To Be
Ready March 4
Negotiations With Repre-
sentatives of Other Ma
tions To Begin Immediate
ly After the Inauguration
Details Still Uncertain
Senator Will Not Make His
Plans Public Until They
Are Fully Worked Out
From a Stor Correspondent


MARION, Ohio, Dec. 19.-President-
elect Harding is hoping that negotia-
tions may be entered into with the
other great powers of the world i'm
mediately after his Inauguration look
ing to the formation of an association
Of nations to promote peace and at the
same time preserve nationality. But
the plan is not completed, and Senator
Harding is not going to take the public
nor the rest of the world into his con-
fidence until his scheme has assumed
a more detailed form.
From the visitors who have conferred
with him since his return to Marion
from his campaign speeches and his
more recent informal talks, the general
lines upon which he is working may
be filled in, but any effort to complete
the picture would be useless. Senator
Harding himself is not doing this, be-
cause he has a lively sense of the OBJ
jections that unquestionably will be
offered by the representatives of other
nations when negotiations begin.
1t is known, however, that Senator
Harding favors the establishment of
an international court along lines that
for many years have peen favored by
Eiihu Root and others. This world
court would function in all contro-
versies arising from violations of trea-
ties and Of international law, when such
law nas been coGlned tor the use Oh
this court.
Workable League Features Included
Senator Harding, in his speech de-
livered here on August %. said he
favored such court. He also said
then that he favored building on the
foundation of 7 he Hague Tribunal and
did not object to the inclusion of
workable features of the League of Ma
tions. In addition to this Senator
Harding has indicated recently that he
looks with favor on provision that
viii compel members of the association
to submit all proposed wars to their
peoples for referendum.
Aside from these points the .Pres-
oent-elect has no hard and fast rules
for the creation of an international
society. He is greeting all of his visi-
tors with an open mind. If any of
them disapprove his suggestions and
have 8 r. 4 80. they thu. -. Ger 10
offer they find him an eager listener
The one point about which his mind
is completely made up is that thee
must be nothing approximately like
Article in any plan that is made.
Most of Senator Harding's callers
after leaving nm have declined to com
nit them selves on anything but their
objections to the present league. The
President-elect was greatly encouraged
after he had talked with Senator Fall
and Colonel Bryan. But Senator James
a Reed, Of Missouri is from Missouri
in another sense about all schemes de-
signed to create international harmon
Wadsworth Approves Program
Senator James w. Wadsworth jr. uf
New York, who conferred with Senator
Harding to-day, left here expressing
hearty approval Of the plan the Pres-
dent-elcct had revealed to him. He
said it was in line with his own ideas
and that he always had believed that
judicial rather than political considera-
tions should weigh in such d society.
Senator Wadsworth and Senator Hard
lag are seat mates in the Senate cham
Der and hold many ideas in common
They voted alike or the treaty.
Senator Wadsworth said that eod;-
tCsntnusd psss four