The New York herald., 1921-07-07
The United States, Germany and
the Versailles Treaty.

AAAS ~ Ss&AAASS
Secretary HuGHEs's contemplation
of the possibilities of German
American treaty grated on a Yer
sailles treaty cleansed and purified
Of its League Of Nations poison Is
not altogether disturbing, for the
question is only under consideration.
but it does call for frank and open
discussion.
President HARpING's Secretary Of
State, the outstanding statesman, the
profound master Of jurisprudence
and the virile citizen, is not the man
to overlook cynically or frivolously
those notifying days when WooD-
ROW WILSON, as Chief Magistrate Of
the nation, disported himself in Paris
with the League Of Nations while
American rights, in truth American
independence, stood in grave danger
of being knocked about the Old World
from pillar to post. That Mr.. HUGHES
would dream of compromising Amer
lean principles and American insti-
tutions in a treaty Of Versailles
which is solely for European uses IL
1t is not entirely of European inven-
tion must, until there come proof
positive to the contrary, be deemed
a thing incredible.
Nevertheless, although he might
feel that, so far as his country is
concerned, he could strip the Yer
sailles treaty of its vicious features
in general and make 1t air tight
against a sacrifice OF our German in
terests in particular, the American
case against the Versailles instru-
ment does not end there. In respect
of some things of transcendent i'm
portance there is where it begins.
1t is idle for anybody to gainsay,
and it would not be wisdom for Sec
retary HUGHES to ignore. that the
very name of the Versailles treaty,
part and parcel as 1t is Of the League
OF Nations now utterly discredited
everywhere on the face of the earth.
is not and for many years cannot be
looked upon with anything but abb
horrence by the great mass Of the
people of the United States.
1t is too much to expect that within
the present generation those in whose
veins runs the red blood of Ameri-
canism will ever be able to recall
without deep sense Of shame and a
burning wrath together the clouded
days when President OF the United
States boasted that he would not per-
NIT the Senate of his own country to
make a cadaver of the treaty cove
nant, but seemed to suffer no an
guish of heart or mind lest the DO.
litical intrigue Of Europe make a
skeleton Of this Republic.
National sentiment, liberty loving
tradition, republican devotion must
long be a powerful influence In our
country for any man to reckon with
in this matter of the League OF Ma
tions and the Treaty OF Versailles
conceived, contrived and put together
to be inseparable and indistin.
guishable. This is a condition--an
American condition--which Secretary
HuoHEs or any representative OF this
nation dealing with foreign affairs,
particularly European affairs, must
look squarely In the face.
AS for the technical question OF
how most conveniently or adroitly
American rights can be safeguarded
whether through the Treaty of Yer.
sailles or through some other agency
there is this to be said without pas
sion or prejudice: Let them be rights
possessed before the war or let them
be rights acquired by the war, IL they
are properly ours we shall not lose
them. II they are not properly ours
we shall not hold them.
The American people ought not To
be content and the American people
never will be content to have a faulty
title to anything confirmed in them
by grace OF European connivance
whether through the Treaty OF Yer
sailles or any other foreign instru
ment OF cunning statecraft.
The American people ought not to
consent and the American people
never will consent that any right Of
theirs which is sound to the core
ood eo,~ IL, cha ovag ~ f,,ettna eho N
be denied or infringed by any Of the
Old World Powers or by any compact
OF number OF such Powers.
What just claim the United States
has in Germany or elsewhere needs
no Treaty of Versailles to underwrite
II. What bad claim the United States
might have cannot be made good
enpugh FOR us in a certificate In.