The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-05-22

and authority than lA asz.z1AsAl was accorded to an ROBERT T. other member of the
 SMALL H family in the last administration, Col. E. II. House. Colonel Harvey not only is at the head of the American diplomatic service, but is the personal representative of Pres ident Harding, authorized to take part in the deliberations of the supreme coun- Gil of the allies, that governing body of the entire world. When Colonel Harvey i speaks in Europe. he speaks not for him. self alone, not merely as American am bassador at the Court of St. James, but in the name of the American President. Colonel House represented President Will son for a time in the supreme council. but his authority was limited and he had no absolute official standing
 Few persons who have not paid the closest possible attention to the develop ment of affairs in Europe, realize the power of world absolutism, assumed by the supreme council of which Colonel Harvey now has become an integral part.
 NO OFFICIAL STANDING l Ostensibly the supreme council has no | official standing; it is not a creature Of the treaty of Versailles, nor of the cove nant of the League of Nations It was for this reason that President Harding said he had authorized Colonel Harvey to take part in it's deliberations, whereas he appointed only an official observer to the reparations commission which was constituted by the treaty. America is not party to the treaty of Versailles, and if Colonel Harvey speaks by the card, never will be.
 And yet the supreme council of the al- lies is proceeding to the settlement of world affairs just as if there were no machinery provided by the treaty or by the League of Nations. It is supreme in fact as we'll as in name. as supreme in the world as the supreme court is all- powerful in the United States. Notwith- standing the fact that 1t has no sanction by the treaty of Versailles all contro- versies arising out of that treaty are taken up and finally settled by the su- preme council.
 It was the supreme council. which de- cided finally what Germany should pay in the way of reparatons although of course the findings of the reparations commission formed the basis for the de- cision
 It remains for the supreme council to make a decision as to the Upper Silesian controversy, despite the fact that this controversy has arisen out of provisions in the treaty of Versailles providing for a plebiscite and the readjustment of Pol ish boundaries in accordance with that pebiscte.
 Probably of more importance to Amer ca directly than either of these two cases is the fact that itA is up to the supreme council to make A final decision to the future status of the Island Of Wap, concerning which, there has been rather tart exchange of notes between the United States and Japan and corre- spondence between the United States and France, Great Britain and Italy.
 AS TO ISLAND OF TAP
 It had been the general impression in this country that the arrangement of all mandates for former German territory, such as the Island of Tap, was in the hands of the League of Nations. but Il has developed that the actual alocation of mandates rests entirely in the hands of the unofficial supreme council. While America was absent from the council the mandate for Tap, the great cable com munication center of the Pacific, was awarded to Japan. This action was taken on the initiative of Great Britain, and is generally regarded as the outcome of an agreement reached between Great Britain and Japan in 1917. whereby in re- turn for increased Japanese naval activ- ty against German submarines in the Mediterranean, Great Britain agreed toN support Japan's future claims to all of Germanys Pacific islands north of the equator.
 When the United States protested against awarding the Tap mandate to Japan and advocated the international- ization of the island. we found it diff cult to answer the reply that inasmuch as the United States has declined to take part in the proceedings of the supreme council it was not seen how she could complain of any decision reached by that body. Whether it was coincidence or rot. the decision of President Harding to designate Colonel Harvey as his repre- sentative to take part in the Ssdelibera- tions of the council quickly folNYed the receipt of this Japanese reply.
 Now the Tap situation has taken on an entirely different aspect an aspect which is unquestionably embarrassing to Great Britain and which has caused her 10 withhold for the time being reply to the American note of protest.
 SUPREME COUNCIL PERSONNEL
 The supreme council is composed of representatives of Great Britain, France, Italy. Japan and the United States. It is not generally known as yet. but Italy and France have indicated infor mally that they are prepared to sup pert the American contentious as to Tap. in the event the decision as to the man date for that island is opened, as there is reason to believe it will be. With the. United States voting through Colonei Harvey this assures 3 to ? status in the supreme council against allowing Japan to remain supreme in Tap. If the United States and Japan should be barred from voting through vital inter- est. the standing in the council would be 2 to in favor of the American conten- tions. Whatever her inner feelings may be in the matter, Great Britain is in honor bound to vote with Japan because of the secret agreements of 1917, the ex- act details of which are not yet known to the world. The importance of Amer icas joining the allies in the supreme council is apparent in the one case alone. praeidant Hardinc in doSipuinr CQlonel