Evening star., 1921-09-30
Officials Of Body May Attach
Too Much Importance to
Act of PoIiteness.
AMERICA STILL CLASSED
AS NON-MEMBER STATE
Administration, at Same Time.
Hopes Attitude Will Not Be
Construed as Hostile.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Spokesman of the government here
explained today that if officials of
the league Of nations think the
United States has changed it's at
titude toward that body simply be-
cause several unanswered communi-
cations from the league have sud
denly been answered, they are att
taching too much Significance to an
ordinary act of politeness.
Geneva dispatches tell of the great
qualification of officials of the league
because Secretary Hughes has entered
into correspondence at last with their
organization. The >fact is the Unit
ed States government learned few
weeks ago. through the press, that
the league of nations secretariat
was criticising the United States for
failing to answer letters. Secretary
Hughes promptly had search made
of State Department files and dis
covered that since many of The COM
munications were in the form of
printed circulars they had been
pigeonholed without replies. He or
dered that all the letters and circu-
lars and notes be rounded up and
promptly acknowledged.
Terms Of Replica Identical.
The terms of the replies are identi-
cal, and set forth the American gov
ernment's attitude in a single sem
tence, which says: Mote is taken of
this information for any purpose of
relevancy to the United States. which
is not member of the league of ma
tions."
In other words, the American gov
ernment does not wish to be disre-
spectful to the league. but 1t has ex-
States Is concerned it must be regard
ed as "a non-member state" If the
Washington government has anything
to take up with the league it will do
so by sending notes to the individual
powers which make up that body. I'm
der no circumstances viii the league
81 5arisdieelon e e svsf ssosaf snrsfs 4 AnssieaS nsf
riGhts or queatiRnAkNs es,: :
Attitude Not HostIis
s 7neidshta1fy RieS fieafned f6Ytf2f
that the Harding aifnfni stfAtfofi 4
hopes It's attitude will not be nniscon-
strued as one of hostility to the league
of nations in such parts Of the world
and with respect to such nations as
do accept its jurisdiction. Anythousht
that the Harding administration has
set out on deliberate course OF kill
ing the league" is absolutely without
foundation. There is the highest au-
thority for that statement. The
United States government is compos-
ed of many persons. some of whom
like the league and others of whom
dislike it. But the traditional policy
of the United States has been to en-
courage all organizations which have
for their object the preservation Of
peace. Not a person connected with
MI lot t.
raise hand. either here or aboad,
against the success of the work under
taken at Geneva. This declaration
cannot be too strongly worded, for it
is fact.
Hope to Help Nations.
Indeed. the hope here is that the
league of nations will so thorough
ly establish itself that it may help
the league of old world nations solve
problems which are largely their
own. It is recognized that a stabil-
lied Europe means a revival Of
American trade and industrial pros
perity here. But aside from that,
there is enough altruism and idealism
to want to see every international
organization succeed with respect to
those nations which belong to it.
As for the new world, the Central
and South American republics are
tied to the United States by bonds
OF friendship stronger than any
formal institution. The United States
is not urging South American coun-
tries to withdraw from the league
For old world problems it may be
convenient for the nations to the
south of US to have a point of con-
tact with the league. but most as
suredly the United States will pro-
coed hereafter on every Central and
South American question affecting
the United States exactly as it would
have proceeded in 1914. when there
was no league of nations
Monroe Doctrine Holds Firm.
Even the covenant of the league as
accepted by Woodrow Wilson con-
nothing in the. league should affect
the validity of regional understand
ings. like the Monroe Doctrine" Some
objected that this wasn't broad
enough. but inasmuch as America
didn't join the league, the fnterpre-
tation Of that clause is superfluous
So far as this government Is con-
erned the Monroe Doctrine remains
and the league of nations is a re-
gional understanding itself. in which
the United States will not interfere.
Purely European questions can be
settled by the league of nations.
American questions will be settled
by the United States in consultation
with her nearest neighbors.
Copyright. 1921 -