Evening star., 1921-03-09
President Harding Asks Par
ticuIar Attention Toward
Association of Nations.
WOULD END AMERICAN
OBLIGATIONS ABROAD
Former Secretary of State Favors
Using Best of Present Ma
chinery of League.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Root TO assist in shaping the policy
Of the United States toward Europe.
particularly in connection with the
association of nations.
Whether MIR. Root will go abroad as
head Of a special mission or will stay
on this side as the American delegate
to an international conference OF
diplomats is undetermined, but the
chances are that MIR. Root Will sail
for Europe just as soon as the Hard
ing administration is ready to take
, he European governments into Its
confidence.
While this kind of negotiation or
dinarily would be conducted by Amer
lean amha SSadors and ministers
abroad. all Of them were appointed
by the Wilson administration and IL
. is not feasible 10 put into the hands
OF the new appointees such deli
cate task until they have had chance
20 be on the ground long enough Ia
famIliariZe themselves with European
conditions.
Elihu Root. on the other hand. spent
several months in Europe last summer
in connection with the making Of the
already has all the background and
knowledge necessary to negotiate with
foreign governments. Not only has he
been Secretary of State. but he rep
resented the United States at the sec
ond Hague conference. and is perhaps
the best equipped American today TO
deal with international lawyers. diplo-
mats and treaty experts.
Root Not Seeking job.
Mr.. Root has not sought Office nor is
he eager to accept any permanent post
abroad, as has been urged by so many
of his friends. but he told Mr.. Harding
he agreed to render any assistance he
could in matters of foreign policy. There
is a close friendship between Secretary
Charles Evans Hughes Of the State De-
partment and Mr.. Root. and there is
every assurance of cooperation between
these two distinguished statesmen.
OF course. Mr. Root is friendly to the
existing league of nations. and white
he never did subscribe to the covenant
advocating reservations similar TO
those proposed by Senator Lodge. he
Gees believe that much of the machin-
cry Of the present league can be main
tained. Mr.. Root, moreover. wrote the
republican national conventions plat
form on foreign policy, pledging the
republican administration to an agree
ment with other nations covering the
same general purposes as were sought
by the covenant.
The appointment of Elihu Root.
therefore. to negotiate with Europe is
merely the logical sequence of events
iE republican policy. and while Mr.. Root
mas not cnaHSS0 MS opinions III any
way concerning the need for internA-
tional cooperation through some such
instrunentality as the covenant, he
would endeayor to obtain an agree
ment with Europe that will relieve the
United States of any obligations, direct
or indirect. to take up arms in Euro
pean questions or that will plunge the
United States into the maelStrom OF
European politics.
In other words, the objects express
ed by Mr.. Harding in his inaugural
address would be a chart of princi-
plies by which Mr. Root would be
guided. To him would be intrusted
the task of making an agreement
with Europe that would square in
detail with those principles.
There are those who believe Mr..
Root would be able to frame an en-
tire new association of nations and
reconstruct the whole machinery of
international intercourse on political
questions as differentiated from judi
cial questions. but on that point no
body here can do any more than con-
lecture for the opinions of European
governments are being held in re-
serve. waiting. indeed, TO examine the
American proposals.
;rrand an Informal One.
The sending of Mr.. Root, along
with other distinguished Americans,
is expected to be much more in
formal errand than was undertaken
by the American peace commission
of which President Wilson was
member The Harding commission
would investigate the opportunities
for coming to an understanding and
would bring back for the approval
necessary to formulate American
policy. which, in turn. would be sub
mitted to the Senate before any
agreement would be finally closed
with the other governments or the
world.
Meanwhile. the desire to sidetrack
foreign questions and handle domes-
tic problems is for the moment not
succeeding very well. President Hard
ing discovered today that he had
quite fight on his hands to get the
Colombian treaty through the Senate.
The friends of Theodore Roosevelt,
who boasted that he took Panama
and talked about it afterward, still
feel that the payment or any IN
demnity to Colombia would be a slap
at the Roosevelt action. On the other
hand. Senator Lodge an intimate
friend of the late President Roosevelt.
is messing for the ratification OF the
treaty. and he has certain documents
last years. felt that some settlement
such as is proposed in the treaty
might we'll be made for the beneht of
good relations.
He did insist on the elimination of
any clause expressing apology or re-
yret. and this having been done the
friends of the treaty see no reason
wbv the Rooseveltian group shouldn't
come into line and give the Harding
administration credit for a benehcent
act in Latin American relations. The
however. is not large
enough to defeat the treaty. for the
democrats stand committed to it, hav-
ing tried to secure ratification when
President Wilson urged il.
Mr.. Harding was prevailed upon to
send a message to Congress to remove
all doubt as to his own insistence on
the need for patching up all con-
with the nations to the
South of us