The Washington herald., 1921-07-17
EXPECTS HARDING
WILL RE-SUBNuT
VERSAILLES PACT
Sullivan Says He Could
Get Revised Treaty
Accepted.
ny MARK SULLIVAN.

ny MARK SULLIVAN.
1t is hard for any one who fol-
lows affairs in Washington closely
to escape the belief that sooner or
later the Versailles treaty. shorn
OF the league of nations, and with
other qualifications, will be sub
mitted to the Senate.
Many different sets Of facts point
strongly toward this belief. The.
nrst OF these Is that probably Pres
ident Harding and Secretary Hughes
want to do IL. Any estimate Of the
present state of mind Of these two
men must be qualified to a mere
probability. for there has been re-
Gently no public expression Of their
state Of mind.
Both on Record.
But IL Is a matter Of record that
so late as April President Harding
believed this to be the best-way to
build a new bridge between Ameri-
ca and Europe. -
As to Secretary Hughes. II is a
matter Of record that last October
he believed this to be the best plan.
II Is also Of record that Mr.. Hoover,
who is thought to have a good deal
Of voice In our foreign affairs, also
believed some time ago that this
was the best plan.
Assuming that President Harding
and Secretary Hughes believe that
the most practicable way for US to
renew our relations with Germany
Is by adopting the Versailles treaty,
minus the league Of nations, then
the only fact that would restrain
them would be doubt as to whether
or not the Senate, would ratify IL.
On this point. the Senate is in a
state Of mind that changes from
day to day, and all these changes
are in the direction OF greater toll
erance for the Versailles treaty with
the league of nations omitted.
The Senate is gradually settling
down from that state OF high and
angry emotion in which II rejected
the league of nations. and in which
II was hostile to anything connected
with the league Of nations.
Public CnImIng Down.
Moreover. that part of the ublic
which shared the Senate's feeling
backed the Senate up and justified
their rejection of the league. has
been going through the same pro-
cess of calming down. This part
of the public would still reject the
league, but il is not now so excited
that II would reject the treaty of
Versailles merely because 1t was as
sociated with the league Of nations.
This kind OF subsiding of angry
emotion is a familiar political
phenomenon. and good politicians
take advantage of II. For example,
in Great Britain in December. 1913.
there was an election which was
fought and won by Lloyd George on
two issues. These two issues were
that the kaiser should be put on
trial for his life. and that Germany
should pay the entire cost Of the
war.
By that election the British peo-
pie were wrought into such a state
OF excitement that il hung like q
shadow over the peace conference
and made impossible. at the begin
ming of the peace conference many
things which, through the soften
ing passage of time, later became
feasible.
Today the British people do not
expect or insist that the kaiser shall
be put on trial for his life. and they
realize that to make Germany pay
the entire cost OF the war is an inn
possible thing.
Harding Knows Il.
This same kind of softening of
angry emotion. stirred up by the
violence OF an election. has been
going on in America. and nobody
knows better than so good a politi-
clan as Mr.. Harding that the time
either has come or soon will come
when the American people will not
look with such intense intolerance
on the Versailles treaty as they did
during the election last November.
{ No one understands better than
Mr.. Harding the fact that the art OF
politics lies in recognizing great
tides OF public feeling and taking
advantage of them.
II still remains true. OF course. as
IL always has been. that an i'm
placable opposition on the part OF
one-third of the Senate can prevent
the ratification of the Versailles
treaty.
But the Senate is subject to the
same law Of tides of feeling as the
public and there are fewer Senators
today who would get excited over
the reintroduction of the Versailles
treaty than there were few
months ago. Practically all the
Democrats except a few like Reed,
would support it. and the number
OF Republicans is small who could
or would resist a declaration by. Mr..
Harding that the best policy Is to
ratify the Versailles treaty with
reservations. excluding the league
of nations and other undesired fea-
lures.
He's From Missouri.
One Of the most irreconcilable of
tn bitter-ender Senators was asked
the other day this question:: DO
you take the position that out of
the entire 100000 words of the
peace treaty 1t is not possible to
deteach. say 10000 words which
would be acceptable to your" This
Senator's reply was: We'll, let me
see the 10000 words"
Everything points toward the
probability that just this thing will
happen, that Secretary Hughes will
perform on the peace treaty as a
whole feat of surgery hitherto un-
equaIed, that he will take out of IL
and cast aside all that pertains to
the league of nations, and that he
will save from It all that Is neces-
sary and desirable for us to re-
establish our relations with Ger
many and the allies on a practicable
basis, that this residue will be sent
to the Senate. and that the Senate
will ratify. For this prediction
there Is of course no authority ex-