Evening star., 1920-02-07
LORD DGREyLETTER
|NTR0DUCESANEW
ERA IN DIPLOMACY
May Establish Principle of
Direct Interchange of Views
With Legislative Bodies.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

WIFI Legislative 6OQleS.
| BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
| Speaking of letters destined to be-
come famous in American history,
that letter of Viscount Grey discuss
ing the controversy between the ex-
| ecutive and legislative branches of
which the treaty of peace shall be
ratified establishes a precedent of far
reaching significance in international
affairs. 1t means a long step forward
| in overcoming the barriers of old
fashioned diplomacy which have hith-
standing one Another.
If the letter of Lord Grey has given
President Wilson offense. however, it
is not merely because the British
statesman has addressed a communi-
cation to the public on a matter which
had previously been confined to diff
ferent branches of the American gov
ernment and at moment when in
tense political strife over the issue
cannot be ignored. 1t is because Wis.,
count Grey. received by the Secretary
of State as the special ambassador
of Great Britain, entered into com
munication with members of the leg
! islative branch of our government
instead Of confining his communica-
tions to the executive branch. which,
under the American Constitution, has
the sole charge of intercourse with
foreign nations.
Parallels Suggested.
1t has been suggested that Mr.. viii.
son appealed over the heads of the
chester. 1t has been said that he
appealed to the Italian populace on
the Fiume question. Neither of these
points is valid parallel, because in
neither instance did Mr. Wilson as
sociate himself or communicate with
the house of commons or the Italian
parliament. But there is somewhat
OF parallel in Mr.. Wilson's action in
Paris when he besought Prime Minis
ter Lloyd George to grant hearing
70 Messrs. Frank P. Walsh and for
as American citizens to plead the
cause OF Ireland. a controversy still
regarded by the British government
as domestic affair.
TO have been more-sxatt. parallel,
the President should have been dis,
covered communicatinS with the Slim
Fefn baders instead II taking t,p the
matter in the natural and proper way.
namely through the British prime
minister, who Is the executive of the
nIuisn government. and duly permit
ted 70 receive communicate tions from
the heads Of other governments.
Inc interesting circumstance, how
ever. about the Viscount Grew letter
is that he intended no disrespect- in
IHnoed !;,ics1 .m.,an no ,meddling in American po-
make it easier for the treaty to he
ratihed and America to become a
partner in the enterprise of preserv
ing peace.
That viscount Grey failed in his
eieveriy worded document to include
81
plight of the President of the Tinted
states; who signed the treaty, but has
oeen lying i'll at the White House
while the opposition has waged inces-
SAINT warfare against the document he
nesotiated; that the British envoy did
not see mt to express passing sym
pathy for the President, who did as
much as any one man to bring the
covenant into being and will deserve
the credit for the structure whether
reservations are adopted or not. pro-
yided the instrument does work as
Viscount Grey is confident that II will
and the discredit il it is a failure-aIi
this has had an effect on the situation
N Washington during the past week,
which cannot be lightly dismissed as
a tempest in teapot. as some of the
British newspapers are doing
Prime Minister Lloyd Georee is an
parentiy awake to the seriousness Of
the episode. for in the interview ca :
bled by Charles Grasty from London
he states specifically that it would be
improper @ for him to express the views
Grating the British envoy on the
ground that he wrote as "priyate
citizen. Yet the prime minister
promptly steps into the gap and
speaks a word of sympathy for the
PRESIDENT and praise for his achieve
ments in the war, his readiness to
pledge the American resources to the
succor of q losing allied cause
nat the incident illustrates more
than anything else is the new era in
modern diplomacy. President Wilson
may not like the tone of the Grey
letter He may not be pleased be-
cause Lord Grey saw fit to mingle
with members of the American senate
ana discuss questions at the moment
so vltally related to internal politics
But his resentment is only analogous
Britain when Messrs. Dunno and
Walsh went to Ireland and mingled
with the Sim Feiners, and when
President de Valera of Ireland not
only was received by the Mayor of
New York city. but when it became
known that de Valera was a frequent
visitor at the offices of United States
senators.
Surely. argue my British friends,
the President would not deny Wis
count Grey the opportunity given to
de Valera. for technically neither one
had been received by our own gov
ernment. and the one had as much
privilege. therefore. as the other.
There is much unnecessary cere.
mony and fuss about precedents in
the conduct of diplomacy and Presi-
dent Wilson himself has argued that
article XI of the covenant will give
anybody, representing any nation, the
opportunity to bring before the as
sembly Of the league for debate any
question which may affect the peace
not only. but the good understanding
between nations. He has insisted that
the matter of Ireland did AFFECT the
good understanding between the
United States and Great Britain. II
is therefore the principle involved in
Viscount Greys intimacies with Amer
lean senators, followed as it was by
a public comment on a subject that
had become a matter of heated dis
pute between political factions. and
not the substance of his communica-
tion which is involved.
If President Wilson permits the in
cident to pass without protest, for
NAL or informal. to the British gov
ernment it will stand as precedent
and hereafter all governments will
be able to point to 1t as justifica-
tion for direct interchange, of views
between parliaments and senates and
houses of congress on all matters of
domestic or foreign concern which
touch the fringe of international in
terest-a direct interchange without