The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-20
US. INTERESTS
AND ITS RIGHTS
HAND IN HAND
Harding Limits American Part
in Foreign Affairs-Steers
Clear of Entanglements in
Politics.
POLICY IS TO SIT IN
BY MARK SULLIVAN

WASHINGTON, D. c., May 20
There have been two events in Wash
ington this week which are essential
signboards of fundamental tendency.
The first and most obvious is our re-
fusal to interfert in Silesia.
This step marks the delim;tation Of
Americas new policy in foreign af-
fairs. We are going to ask to "sit in;
in fact. we are going to rress our
right TO sit in" all matters as to
which America has an interest
The theory Of our new policy is that
right go hand in hand, but where
| Americas interests ends America 5
', right ends, and that in those matters
where We have no right we are going
to avoid ENHANCEMENT.
Broadly speaking, Americas new
lolicy is that we have an interest in
every economic matter taken up by
the Supreme Council, but that we have
TO interest in any political matter af-
fecting Europe taken up by the su-
preme council
Illustration Complete.
The illustration of this new policy
is now complete. We had ~ interest
in the economic aspect of the German
reparations and therefore we took a
hand We had no interest in ,he pure
ly political subject of the boundary
between Poland and Gerlnany. and
therefore, we declined to take hand.
This is complete picture of the new
rolicy.
or course, the place where the line
is drawn is more or less arbitrary.
We say. for example, that we have an
interest in the amount Of export Guty
which the Allies put upon German
goods because that export duty will
have an economic effect upon every
rerson in America who directly or
Indirectly buys from Germany or
sells to Germany-every person who
directly or indirectly consumes Ger
man goods or sells goods TO Germany.
But, on the contrary. our position is
that the boundary between Poland and
al matter in which we have no inter
est. Therefore, we stay out Of 1t. '-'
.> 49,. Line is Arbitrary.
Friends Of the Wilson foreign pro-
gram and the friends Of the League
of Nations will, of course, say-and
say with perfect truth-that this is an
arbitrary line. II five years from now
the boundary between Poland and
Germany should give rise to Eu-
ropean war and if that war should
take the course which the recent war
took and should ultimately involve us,
then we have an interest in il. The
InsWer Of those who are responsible
for our new foreign policy would
admit freely that this is 81 true, but
that the line must be drawn some
where. and that for the present they
draw it at the point illustrated by the
two incidents I have recited.
The second episode which is a sign
board of fundamental policy is Presi-
dent Hardings refusal for the present
20 send troops to West Virginia. This
illustrates a vitay quality of President
Harding's mind. 1t is his disposition
10 act on the second thought rather
than on the first thought.
States Responsible.
When the governor of West Virginia
and the senators from West Virginia,
and various other representatives OF
West Virginia and Kentucky all in z
rather excited and insistent frame of
mind. demand federal troops, the firss
thing the easiest thing and the most
obvious thing is to send the troops.
President Harding's declination to
do suggests policy which goes back.
ward from what has been the tendency
Tor at least two decades past. 1t is a
tendency towards refusal on the part
of the federal government to take an
increasing hand in local matters and
an insistence that the various states
shall fulfill more completely the fune
tions of local government which rest
upon them.
Copyright 1921, by the New York
Evening Post InC)