The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-04-05
FRICTION BETWEEN PRESIDENT
WILSON AND MEMBERS OF THE
AMERICAN COMMISSION: DAN
GEROUS POLICY FAVORED

Boston. April 5.-Robert lansing
former secretary of state ana member
OF the American Peace Commission, will
reveal his forthcoming book on THE
Peace Negotiations" D." which will be pub
llshed soon, how close he came TO re-.
signing from the commission because
Of differences with President Wilson
over the Shantung decision and his be-
lief that many OF the terms of peace
imposed on Germany we're harsh, hu.
initiating and seemingly impossible OF
performance.
The publishers of this book, which
has been eagerly awaited by historians
and the public, have carefully guarded
the text Of the manuscript, but they
have permitted the general trend Of
Mr.. LAnsng's argument to become
known. 1t is expected that when the
text IS printed many Of the opinions
expressed by Mr., Lansing viii be con-
troyertcd by other writer's.
Near Resigning
President Wilson. according to Mr..
Lansing's belief, at one time during
the peace conference pGrposed TO me-
gotiate q preliminary treaty which
would start the league OF nations func-
tlonins without laying the document
before the United States senate. and
evidently was much perturbed when his
secretary of state told MIN that the
only way to change the status from war
10 peace was by ratified treaty or
Joint resolution OF congress
y profound conviction that immediate
peace was the primary need OF the world
Mr. Lansing implies, was all that kept
him from resigning from the peace COM
mission because Of fundamental dis
agreements with the president on prin-
csples The former secretary discloseS
that in 1916, shortly before q meeting
in Washington II the league to enforce
peace at which the president was TO
speak, Mr.. Lansing wrote 10 Mr. VIII
SON ubiectiug to the use OF force TO
settle international disputes. In this
letter he pointed out the menace to
The MQnNe Doctrine contained IN such
a plan.
Foreign EnIanglementS
Alarmed at the complications Of war
In0 foreign entanglements IN the guar.
on,,e OF territorial integrity ana po-
liucal Independence OF members of tho
league, a guarantee that finally was
embodied IN Article y OF the covenant.
Mr.. Lansing says that at Paris be- tried
10 have substituted q negative pledge
that the members would MT infringe
upon each others territorial integrity
or political independence. lie became
convinced that COL Edward VI. House.
then President Wilson's closest adviser.
was completely converted with regard
20 this question.
Differences With President
II is In relation to Shantung, Mr..
Lansing discloscs the sharpest differ.
onccs between himself ana President
Wilson. Mr.. Lansing gives az his opin-
ion that hlackmail and bluff by laran
impelled the president to agree to sur
render to that country such rights IN
Shantung AS before the war were held
by Germany and automatically annvlled
when China declared hostilitles In h.s
opinion only scvret diplomacy made IL
possible for Japan to threaten to leave
the peace conference unless its demands
were granted. threat Mr. Lansing be-.
levcd WOULD not have been executed
because OF the appreciation by Jatan
that the benefits II a new and power.
ful world position could be retained
only by membership In the leagte OF
nations.
That other members Of the American
shared his view that the
Shantung decision as rendered by the
council of four was a flagrant wrong
and were prevented from resigning only
by the critical conditions In the world
situation Is clearly implied by Mr Lans-
CONTINUED on PAGE two