Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-03-26
WASHINGTON
NEWS LETTER
By The Washington Star
Copyright 1920.
4 x L K K K < K K K * K

WASHINGTON, Mrch 25 = A par
amount Importance in legislative, ad- |
and diplomatic circles is
the course to be followed by the I'm
tied States alternative to the rejec-
tion Of the treaty of Versailles. Com
manding business interests of count
try at large reflect concern over the
situation.
During the long and wearisome de-
bate in the Senate over the treat of
peace with Germany, the public may
have obtained the idea that the only
question was whether the United
States should join the league of ma
tions. This may have been the sub
ject most prominently brought to the
fore; it may have been deemed the
most important but it was far from
being the sole issue involved in the
treaty consideration.
In point of fact, the treaty of Ver-
sailles' principal object was to estab-
list status of peace between Eng
land, France, Italy, the United States
/ together with the called and associa-
ted nations" with Germany. It con-
tanned far reaching provisions bearing
upon the business, social and economic
conditions Of the peace settlement
which were to affect the nations con-
cerned for years to come. 1t con-
tanned provisions of reparation for
public and private losses entailed by
| European governments, and for pri-
vate losses suffered by Americans
very important from financial and
! economic standpoint.
That the treaty has been ratified by
the great powers other than the Uni
ted States, and in respect to all the
| busines and economic questions is now
a going concern, this is to say, it has
started going. for there is an immense
amount of detail yet to be perfected
by conference and commission work
The United States has signed the
/ treaty, has agreed to become party in
manner specified to all these prepara-
tions and plans for the starting up OF
VI
the United States to ratify the treaty
as negotiated and signed invalidates
the participation of this country in the
manner and to extent stipulated ir
the treaty.
AS everyone knows, the treaty was
rejected because the President in ne
gotiating it had literally fulfilled the
threat he made upon starting on his
second journey to Paris, to inextrica
bly weave the covenant of the league
of nations into the warp and woof o.
the treaty of peace itself. Efforts tt
separate the covenant of the league Of
nations for consideration apart from
the other features of the treaty failed
early in the consideration of the treaty
features in the Senate and it was un
avoidable thereafter that the whole
structure should stand or fall as on
. edifice.
! It is the universal judgement i,
!. Washington that no plan to revive th'
! league of nations project can possibl.
be put through the Senate in the pres
ent state of opinion in that body. Sen
ators are not likely to change thei
:, mind unless they have direct mandat
: from their constituents to do so an
no such command may come until tn
question has been threshed over in tn
! national campaign now pending.
) But in the meantime, some mean
must be devised for the participation
Of the United States in the settlemen
Of the business questions involved i
the treaty stipulations. outside tn