Evening star., 1920-01-17
LORD GREY SOUNDS
SENTIMENT HERE
ON LEAGUE ISSUE
Change in British View ot
!. U. S. Position May Result
From His Visit.
BY FRANK Fl. sIMONDs.


l. = Great interest is manifested in this
| city over the possible changes in
British policy which -may--follo oW,- The
arrival of vfFeoant Grey'iMsEnE4And
| While in certain, sense his Amert-
can visit was failure, since he ac-
complished none of the things for
which he came, did not see the
! President, see the league of ma
| part whatsoever, Grey's visit was by
no means useless. nor was his time
wasted. 81.
In his brief stay in Washington the
tives of all parties and of all shades
OF feeling. He reco gnized clearly
and grasped sympathetically the fact
that opposition to the league of ma
tions covenant. as submitted to the
Senate. was not primarily. or exclu-
sively partisan. and it is conjectured
here that, following Grey's return.
there will be no repetition by Lloyd
George of the statement that poll
tics had produced the failure of the
| treaty on this side of the water.
Gets Clear. View Of Situation.
Many talks with many republicans
gave Grey a clear view Of the posi-
tion of the champions of the reserva-
| tions in the Senate. Turned aside
from the original purpose of his visit,
the former secretary for foreign af-
fairs took up the necessary task Of
analyzing and appraising American
feeling. And it, is no secret in this
city that one of the controlling rea-
sons for the iviscount's retdfn rather
sooner than had been expected was
America. was not in the least under
stood in Europe. 80 {+r -, - s.-.--
| That the British ambassador be-
lieved in a league of nations. was Con
| council had 1t existed. Would. have
been of infinite value in the critical
days of July. 1914. was clear to- all
who talked with him. But this per-
4 sonal conviction was. never pressed.
nor did Grey at any time Undertake e
to become a protagonist of the league
OF nations or a champion ofsany form
! toEpovenant. . .-s r.. ~ =
i Change Of British View Expected
Throughout ali.ghisN public life the
British amba sSador has been a wa rn
friend and admirer of the United
States- and this admiration was great
ly increased by his brief stay on this
side CT the ocean. His return 20 Eng
land will. therefore, it is Confidently
change in the British official view OF
the American situation.
| 1t is interesting to note here the
impression that Grey made Of Sim
plicity, frankness and strai gfftfor-
| wardness. He gave his confidence to
not a few American newspaper men
| he talked TO them with an absence OF
diplomatic cfrcumfocution,,w which won
| Immediate and lasting respect.
| The question as to whether Grey
will return an ambassador IS: open, but
there is growing impression that he
Lord Reading. who was here for a
| brief time during the war and is un-
1derstood to be willing to return. On
the other hand, Grey told many Wash
ington friends that he intended to re-
! turn to America. and left the impress
sion that he would come asa private
Citizen.
Grey's influence In London will ma
l terially contribute to improving
| Anglo American relations, for it is un-
mistakable here that there has been
| increasing irritation, notably I'm GER
tain republican quarters. over Lloyd
lGeorge's several-times-repeate al
legation that partisan politics alone
is responsible for the deadlock over
! the treaty. 1t can be pretty safely
guessed that this is not Greys view,
and he is too good an observer not to
lperceive the harm that has been al
1 ready done by this charge and the
greater harm that might follow fur
ther harping on this string.
influence Felt in Washington.
| 1t is an odd circumstance that while
outside of Washington Grey's visit
has excited little comment, in Wash
| tinston he has quietly and. unob-
1 Itrusively. but no less potently, been
1feH. He has escaped the slightest
hint of medding with American polit-
flca1 questions and domestic debates,
but he has invited and obtained from
leaders on both sides OF the Senate,
as well as from republicans and demo-
Gratis outside of official circles, views
which will enable him to. clarity. Brit
ish opinion on the American ques-
lt4on. =,
Jusserand. Lord Grey has been able
| to preserve and increase the friend
| ship betw his own and the Amer
lean people by methods which are
strikingly in contrast with those en-
! ployed by Count Won Bernstorn, with
| temporary success. but with ultimate
| iy fatal consequences. With Grey, as
with Jusserand. the British embassy,
| like the French, has at no time been a
center of intrigue or headquarters
of manipulation.
The result has been unmistaka BILE.
| There are no partisan or personal
shades of feeling about Grey's all too.
! brief stay in Washington. 1t has been
| a success, despite the limitations i'm
posed by the Presidents illness. 1t
| has materially contributed to- lessen
1 ing a measure of evaporation at
| certain British official utterances. and
the general belief at the capital is
| that Americas real feeling viii be
adequately and sympathetically pre-
served with Grey. back, in- London.
| copyrighted; 1920. by the Mcclure Newspaper
syndicate.) =. :
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NIL cono,% of CrnnS..'