The Washington herald., 1920-02-20
President S Stand on Italian
Controversy Believed
To Be Unaltered.
ROME STILL INSISTS
Secretary Polk Polishing
Up Answer Prepared IN
Hour and a Half. :

4
written has not been sent
The delay Ia In the State Depart
ment Yesterday morning at s:1f
the President sent for his stenos-
rapher and began work on the nota.
He completed his task in less thxn
an hour and q half The Presidents
manuscript reached the State De-
partment before noon OmciaI an
nouncement that the note would not
go forward last night was taken
to mean therefore. that the Presi-
dents draft was q rough draft
which he desired dIplomaticany
polished before Transmission. II Mr..
Polk finished the polishing last
night the note may 20 out today.
The fact that IL took the Presi-
dent so short a time TO compose
bis reply was generally considered
to be significant Of the character
OF the reply. II is believed the re-
ply will be q resfirmation OF the
American position as stated in the
note OF December and reiterated
in the note sent late in January.
No Ambiguity About Position.
There was no ambiguity about the
American position as stated in the
note from this government of De-
cember and the January note.
Both OF these notes made perfectly
clear to the allied powers that the
United States had reached the limit
Of concession it was willing TO make
in the Adriatic settlements
The United States always had been
willing to 20 as Ear as possible, with
out infringing Jugo Slavis's essential
rights. to conciliate Italy. But il was
found that ~ soon as italy was grant
ed one concession she wanted another.
II was because Of this experiencs of
the American peace couruIssion IN
dealing with Italy th.t the Prezidest
felt compelled 10 write, his thus Ear
and no farther note OF December 8
Despite that note the French. British
and Italian prenisrs entered into q
new arrangement and. without con
sulting the United States. sent ths
new proposed settlement TO Juro
Slavia as an ultimatum which must
be accepted under penalty OF having
the Pact Of London put In force. The
Pact OF London was the agreement
under which Italy entered into the
war and made dispositions Of Adriatic
| territory which President Wilson con-
sidered iniquitous and indefensible.
II was when he got knowledge OF this
action Of the allies that tie President
even before their note had arrived ir
Washington. sent his protest IA the
latter part of January wi ich createc
a sensation in Europe.
Not Expected To Back Down.
Having stated his position clearly
and decisively in the note OF Dc.
cember and re-afirmed It with indnE-
nation in the January note which hs
concluded with the threat to seriously
from the Treaty at Versailles ant
from the treaty between the UniteS
States and France. IL is not con.
sidered at all likely that the Presi.
dent in the note prepared by hin
yesterday will back down. The fsci
that the note did not occupy ths
President for more than an houi
and a half is believed to indicate
La
any new argument which made any
appeal TO the President Although
the allied note contained approx.
mately four thousand words. IL {,
understood to have covered onlS
ground in which the President wa;
thoroughly familiar
II was definitely learned that tn,
threat in the January note 20 civ,
serious consideration TO the with.
drswsl of America from the treaty o
Versailles and from the Treaty be.
! tween the United States and France
in case the allies saw ft to persist n
the new Adriatic arrangement. which
they had made without consulting th'
United States, was not a postscript
to the note as stated In the cable
/ yesterday from Paris. The assertion
that Il was a postscript created gresi
temporary interest here. because
the suspicion that the postscript nigh
shave been added by Secretary Ian
sing. and possibly have been the rea
cause Of the break between him ant
the President. But this suppositiof
twas disposed Of when II was author.
ltativeiy announced that the threat &c
have America withdraw from the tvs
treaties was the concluding paragraph
OF the note, and that there was M
postscript. This information makes
perfectly clear that the threat Of with
drawal was the Presidents own threat
Threat Notice To AIiies-
The threat Of withdrawal Is geas
orally regarded here as Presiden
wilson's notice TO the allied power
that he will have nothing more @
do with any Of their arrangement
Tor proposals which violate IN.
principles laid down IN his famou
fourteen points In administrator
circles there is a feeling OF grca
satisfactton over the Presidcnt,
1 saN