The Washington herald., 1921-04-13
Conference of Washing
ton with All Nations
Present Probable.
ROOT SEEN LEADER
OF FINAL PARLEYS
Senate Resolution Ending
War Would Not EN-
barrass Allies.
ny FRANK II. sIMoNDs.

From the international standpoint,
President Harding's message con-
tains a single sensation. His decla-
ration which eliminates the United
States from the list OF possible
members of the present league OF
nations has long been foreshadowed.
and his Endorsement of a Knox res
oIution abolishing the technical
state of war with Germany has been
fOreseen for many weeks.
But in indicating his conviction
that the treaty of Versailles should
be the basis for the restoration of
conditions of peace the President
has broken new ground wholly un-
expected.
Meaning of Note, UnfeIsed.
In the larger sense We see now
unfoIded. not only the real meaning
of the several notes already uttered
by the Secretary OF State to Ger
many and to our former associates
OF the war. but the future policy
under which this country is to re-
adjust itself to the world. In a
very literal sense the new President
has taken up Mr.. Wilson's chal-
Ienge and, through his Secretary of
State. will undertake to disentan-
gle the covenant Of the league OF
nations from the body Of the treaty
of Versailles and proceed to the re-
making of the treaty, subject to
necessary reservations restricting
American obligations and guaran-
teeing American rights.
Beyond all else this means that
the new administration has per
ceived the impossibility OF under
taking to make a separate peace
witn the Central Po~erS End the
equal impracticability OF persuad-
ing our former associates To
scrap" the treaty Of Versailles and
draw a new document. To seek TO
make a separate peace with the
Central Powers means to place US
in a position of an applicant and
deprive US Of all the advantages OF
a co-victor in the war. To ask the
associated nations to abandon their
gains Of the war. as recognized in
the treaty of Versailles and join
us in negotiating a new settIeme nj
with Germany. is TO ask the i'm
possible and get nowhere.
international Conference Seen.
Taken in connection with other
incidents which have happened in
recent days. il is plain that the Pres
ideRt's message foreshadows an in
ternational conference, not improb-
ably held in Washington. in which
all the nations which shared the
battle with US will be represented
and in which American rights un-
der the treaty of Versailles and
American relations to that treaty
will be established. This, after all
is what Mr.. Hughes several notes
preceding the Presidents message
have been aimed at. The incoming
administration has lost no time In
entering formal claim to certain
rights. leaving to the future the ad-
justment of these rights by negotia.
ton.
There has been general confusion
in the public mind growing out Of
the discussion OF the Knox resolu.
tion as a peace-making document
1t is not and cannot be that. It:
limit must be the abolition of q
technical state of war created by
resolution on April 6. 1917. THAI
portion OF the original resolution
which undertook to establish a
policy with respect TO future Ger.
man aggressions, was an invasion
of executive premises and an in.
,cident in the battle between PresI.
dent Wilson and the Senate. But
now that Mr.. Wilson has gone and
the battle is over, II is for the new
President to negotiate treaties. and
the mission of the Senate must bt
to ratify or refuse to ratify.
Would Work On Versailles Pact.
To restore peace II viii be neces.
sary to negotiate both with tn,
Germans and with the allies. unles,
we accept the treaty of Versatile,
as basis and ratify that treaty
with reservations. This latter is tho
process that the new President ad.
vocates- On this basis our former
European associates will certainly
be glad to meet him. What hs;