Evening star., 1921-04-08
Mr.. HUGHES TAKES
RE|NS SHAPING
FOREIGN POLICY
Unhampered Action in Recent
Note Declared to Demon
strate Leadership.
BOLD STAND EXPECTED
ON AMERICAN RIGHTS

A4AAcU 0OVeIu-UcutS A1hCly WILL
Slowly Accede to Freedom of De-
cisions of New State Secretary.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Charles Evans Hughes has assumed
the leadership in formulating Amer
ica's foreign policy.
There is no longer any question
about the directing force behind the
new Observation-Disclosures longer any
doubt about it on Capitol Hill, where
reservationists. irreconcilables and
bitter-enders have had their own way
during the last two years, and no
longer any doubt at the executive end
Of the Avenue. where Mr.. Harding.
true to the pledge he made in Florida,
has given Mr.. Hughes complete free
dom of action in the conduct of for
eign relations.
The significance of what has been
going on more or less under the sur
face-or rather on the quiet-in the
! last fortnight is just beginning to be
fully understood.
The. process of making each person.
ality in the situation understand that
after all the executive is charged with
the conduct of foreign relations under
the Constitution. and that the Secre-
tary of State accepted the portfolio
with that idea in his mind has been
accomplished without friction or dis
sension. There is no trace of discord
above or below the surface of things.
Practically everybody concerned rec
ognized that Charles Evans Hughes
is dominant mind and that he means
| to do the best he can with the tangle
| In which he found Americas foreign
relations and that, while the Senate
foreign relations committee will be
consulted. the initiative must rest as
| it always has with the Department of
State.
- Party Lining Up.
Already Senator Lodge. whose diff
/ culties as republican leader were
muItiplex when his party was on the
offensive in Congress. is using his
talents as conciliator in bringing
the party into line back of Mr.. Hughes
from defensive point OF view. OF
course. handful of senator's may
never play ball at all. but the re-
publican majority Is sufficiently large
to put through any Harding Hughes >
policies that come before the Senate
or House in respect of foreign rela-
tions.
Most of the talk about the Knox
resolution must be accepted with the
knowledge that Secretary Hughes will
determine the exact moment when 1t
| il discreet for Congress TO act This
Is no mere seizure by him of the reins
Of power because Of personal or off,
cial pride. 1t is due to the PRACTICAL
tiles of the situation. Mr.. Hughes has
embarked on the toldesf. if not the
4
before confronted an American Secre-
tary of State. Every day he is ne
gotiating with foreign governments.
! listening to the oral conversations of
foreign diplomats or examining care
! fully the confidential memoranda
from our ambassadors and ministers
ab1bad. He must have a free hand.
President Harding recognized it at
! the outset. The Senate foreign rela-
tfons committee now admits it.
VIII stand for U. s. Rights.
| Secretary Hughes is trying to re-
| tain for America the rights which our
| government says accrued to us as a
result Of the war, whether or not the
Versailles treaty Is signed. The
strong language of Mr.. Hughes dec
laration and his powerful logic have
been comm mended on all sides here, but
: II is realized that the allies will not
4 supinely surrender to the American
viewpoint. They will bicker and bar
ter as long as they can. There are
ting ready to question Mr.. Hughes
! arguments on the ground that war
questions with Germany were closed
! by the treaty of Versailles, and that,
while a Willingness exists to treat
America equitably. it must be under
kat ha
gotiation. but closed incident, be-
cause forty nations have signed il.
(, From the European viewpoint the
situation is complicated not because
! of any antipathy to Americas argu-
!! ments. but because to .reopen the
of escape from her obligations For
instance. some diplomats see a par
ticular danger in granting America S
point on that article of the Versailles
treaty whereby Germany was to re-
nounce all her rights and claims to
overseas possessions only to the prin-
cipal allied and associated powers
i Germany might range herself along
side the United States in declaring
many provisions of the Versailles
I treaty invalid because the Unit ed
States did not become member OF
the repdrat!ons commission, for ex-
ample. or take part in other decisions
provided for by the treaty The al
lies nave ndQ enough experience WIN
Germany not to offer her chances to
escape by technicalities such as this
Congregational Action Important.
Secretary Hughes will try to com.
pei Europe to give AMERICA equa
treatment throughout the world ON al
questions arising out of the war, ant
may withhold agreement to the ia
nous paragraph five. whereby Amer.
lea would pledge herself to come tt
the military aid of Europe in an emer.
. gency, until the various points il
this weeks note are accepted by the
powers All this requires deft nego
tiation, and that's why the executive
shall not pass resolutions having
bearing on foreign policy.
|, And last, but not least, when thu
, Knox resolution is passed treat,
. with Germany must be made either
with or without the consent of ths
allies. INDICATIONS already point 4
the fact that the Harding admin ira
, ro-German peace. This means tha
!, the separate peace treaty whereof,
America avoids the obligations of tn,
treaty of Versailles will be negotiated
not with Germany. but with the al
: lies. who are co-receivers will
Charles Evans Hughes. whose lega
ability won him fame when he was :
member of Americas highest court
has tackled this intricate problem
with determination to do the bes
/ thing for America. irrespective O.
political considerations or campaign
; chatter. The first step IN the program
has been the elimination of congress
sional meddling. Mr.. Hughes is Sec
| retary of State. -