The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-08-09
Senate Foreign Relations
Committee UNIFORMED
About Germany
SECRETARY HUGHES
KEEPS VERY QUIET
Refuses to Give Out Word for Publica-
iiOn Peace Proclamation Tied Up In
Department of Justice Agreement
With Germany Hoped for.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

f. Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 9.-NIore than
month has passed since congress by
joint resolution tried to declare state
of peace with Germany but for reasons
which have thus far been clouded in Sc
crecy neither proclamation of peace has
been issued nor has the American pub
lie been told officially by the department
of state or the White House what the
American commissioner in Berlin and
the German government are talking
about.
The senate foreign relations commit
tee has not been given a draft of the
memorandum now in the hands of Ger
man government though it is known
the German reichstag committee has for
weeks had the same under consideration.
1t was in the senate that the Wilson
administration met its Waterloo by fail
ing to consult that body in the making
of peace and Republican senator's have
been wont to say that the policy of secret
diplomacy was repudiated at the polls
last November. That's why there is a
growing impotence over the extreme Sc
crecy of the present negotiations with
fGermany.
Secretary Hughes who usually dis
cusses foreign policy frankly and in much
more detail than any of his predecessors
has declined repeatedly to say anything
about the conversations or negotiations
going on with the German government.
The state department has. on the other
hand. insisted that most of the published
reports are seriously inaccurate.
Like Wilson's Policy.
The Wilson administration used to ar
que that international custom and inter-
national policies made it necessary to ne
gotiate privately but the Harding admin
istratiOn is keeping the negotiations with
III the realms of secret diplomacy because
of the domestic politics-a fear of Ger
tain elements in the United States senate
which might attempt to criticize the pro-
poSals if made public.
Indeed. the department of state gives
every evidence of intending to follow the
Wilson footsteps by negotiating treaty
with Germany and then sending it to
the senate which will be urged to accept
it without qualification. The chances are
the senate will have to take the treaty
without crossing of - or the dotting
of an Il.
The Democrats aren't particularly dis
turbed over that prospect for they de-
Tended il under the Wilson administra-
ton. but the elements in the senate which
denounced the Wilson methods as unjus-
titled are showing signs of unrest over
the fact that open diplomacy has again
gone by the boards Their chief fear is
that Secretary Hughes is establishing a
precedent for the Harding administra-
ton which will be used TO keep the press
out of the disarmament conference and
tgive out formal statements similar TO the
colorlesS announcements made daily at
Paris while the real agreements and ne
on sri
| being handed to the public in piecemeal
| fashion in books by those delegates who
/ participated in the peace conference.
Proclamation Mystery.
| But if the mystery over the conduct
| of the negotiations with Germany is I'M
Explained it is no less of concern to Cap
1 it0l hill than the reason why n peace
proclamation isn't issued. Congress eX-
lpected that peace would be established
1by joint resolution The state depart
4 ment didn't seem to think q proclamation
was necessary but some suggestion was
I made that wartime legislation could be
! abrogated only by proclamation. Sc
/ the matter was referred TO the depart
i ment of Justice where it has Tep0Sed fol
several weeks The spectacle of Secre
i tary of State Hughes with experience OF
the supreme bench of the United States
Il being required to await an opinion from
| a few lawyers at the department of jus
1 tice is one that has given rise to all sorts
1 of rumors and gossip. Mr.. Hughes, il
H is commended, knows whether a nrocla
nation of peace is necessary. He know!
4 all about the law in the case. The ques
tion was referred to the department o
Il Justice as a way QUIT was hoped thu
responsibility for the issuance of TIL
| proclamation could be placed on the de
/ partment of Justice and make it domes
/ tic legal affair and not an infringement
on the handling of foreign policy by tn
secretary of state.
But something has happened. Ever
the department of Justice has taken it
time and the general inference is that tn
I President has told the department /
needn't hurry the decision. Meanwhile
the department of state is hopeful of a.
early conclusion of its negotiations wit
Germany and once an agreement witt
the Berlin government is reached it vii
be easier to take the position that tn
/ peace proclamation might as well be he'll
up until after the separate peace treat.
with Germany issued by both PARTIES