The Washington herald., 1920-02-24

tions to Europe. The treaty of YER
sailles has been before theNcountry
now for eight months awaiting rat
ification. To many OF us the treaty
divides itself into two parts-into
the treaty itself in settlement Of
the immediate war problems, and
into the covenant of the league OF
nations.
The treaty. as distinguished from
the covenant. was born In a nrs
of suffering, a sense of wrong, the
passions Of revenge and fear thar
grew out of them. To some of us
many of the features OF the treaty
itself were the result of compro-
misses with these forces. Already
many of its signatories are ac-
knowledging it must be revised. It's
settlements did not sufficiently rec
ognize the necessity of economic
solidarity between different parts
of Europe. There are some 4oo,-
100000 people in Europe who be-
fore the war. barely managed TO
exc out-an existence by the utmost
exertion in production. They did
manage to support some minor lei
| sure CldSS anu vast anu ho
vies, but did so at the cost of the
standard of living of the large mass,
The bare margins Of necessary pro-
duction were only accomplished by
free cooperation between states In
commerce. This position has been
even more disintegrated by the shat
tering of old states into numbers
of economic fragments with large
passions and antagonisms. If these
new states would survive, they must
yre-integrate much Of the former
economic relationships.
Dangef in Degeneration.
With the additional burden Of over
coming the destruction and disin-
= ration of war. all Europe must free
II from armament. The popula-
.,ion is still in a vast ferment 'of
misery and social agitation. 1t Will
go on and will continue to infegt our
shores until production can be re-
tored. The danger does not so much
! lie in revolutionary cataclysm as In
steady degeneration of the standard
Icf living and the slow decay of the
| nrces of stability. These readjust-
IIients in sober second thought need
begin at the earliest possible moment
1f the maximum reparauon Is to be
secured by the allies, this produc-
tivity must be restored. Until then
we shall not have real peace. 1t will
be delayed as long as we hang the
treaty in the air. for we are a part
OF II. The league must give the moral
impulse to this CONSTITUTIONAL devel-
opment Of the treaty.
/ do not believe the adherence of
the American people to the league re-
quires any demonstration. 1t has
been under discussion for eight
months. 1t has been given able de-
bate and consideration in its very
complexion. I believe that the ma
jority of our people are convinced Of
the necessity OF reservations with the
league. Both parties to the conflic
appear to concede this. The con.
fiicting groups over the character of
the reservations have gradually
abandoned their extreme ground and
have come closer and closer to a
common mind. 1t would appear to
the outsider that both sides were in
agreement on all the great major
ideas of the league and the major
ideas of reservations, but that they
are in disagreement mostly over sec
Onudry QutstlOnS IN tne reSerVatloHS.
World In Suspense,
In the meantime, the world is held
in suspense. Infinite misery goes on
accommodating. Forces are set in mo-
tion that may yield new conflicts.
Already the distrust and undermining
Of confidence and credit in the world
has crippled our export market. Our
farmers are the first to suffer, The
prices of our farm products are rap
idly falling below the cost of produc-
ton. II We are to have economic
stability at home. it, can be main
tained only through stability In our
agricultural population. -
There seems to be a MOTTO that ad-
tvantage could be gained by Presi-
Dental election upon the minor diff
ferences as to reservations. cannot
believe that such a notion Is sincerely
held by the dominant groups in the
Senate. Such a thing means that we
shall continue this accumulation of
danger for another year. 1t means
that We will obscure our pressing do
nestle issues by conflict over a uues-
ton in which the country has already
made up its mind. This means that
we will allow these things to happen
simply in order that some advantage
can be hoped for in domestic poll
tics. 1t is my impression that there
is no party credit in this position.
| "Mild Reservntionists.,
1t appears to many of us that the
most practical hope of immediate rati-
fication lies in the lesser reserva-
tionists" accepting the proposals of
the mild reservationists." The two
combined can pass the treaty. 1t also
appears to US that even from the point
of view of the lesser reservationists'
they will have secured all of the major
functions and values of the league.
IL IT be put into being, and IL It prove
its living value in the world, no one
can doubt that any necessary changes
will be granted to it by common con-
\ sent as years go on. The league Is
not a principal: It is an organiza-
ton. Its greatest function Is to or
ganize moral forces. Its major au-
thority will be moral force. For
my part, IL the league cannot prove
its value under the latest proposals
! of the mild reservationists' It will
never prove them under the propos-
ais of the lesser reservationists. "
| The problems >of Europe, which
necessarily bear on our own prog
ress and safety. will not be settled
even by the act of ratification. 1t
will epable new progress to be un-
dertaken in settlement and recon-
struction. The war has brought us
many new relationships which we