The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-05-05
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch TO The Reformer)
Copyright 1921.

NCt'f A1iAS 4S-A'
WASHINGTON, May o President
Harding looks somewhat care-worn. The
weight of responsibility rests heavily
ON him. No longer does he wear the
senatorial manner, the seeming ease and
abandon of the capitol cloak room; he
looks and acts the part of a chief execu-
tive, whose time for smiles and banter
are lost in the seriousness of Il huge
task. The correspondents see the Pres
ident on Tuesdays Just after a cabinet
meeting Mr.. Harding had q burden
some day. He started a movement for
economy in the governments departments
"a pruning of all expenses That's only
part of his job-thc affirmative side,
lie betrayed uneasiness over other
phases OF it-what may be called the
negative slde-preVentjng some OF hrs
former colleagues of the senate from
harassing him.
The president has found it necessary
to beg the senate to remember that the
chief executive cannot do effective work
if the members Of the legislative body
insist on invading what he considers his
legitimate jurisdictiOn-the handling of
foreign policy, questions OF dIsarma-
Rhine and kindred matters.
Mr. Harding isn't seeking a quarrel
with the senate. He is doing everything
in his power to avoid one. But all the
senators aren [ cooperating with INN
I'M a way that spells teamwork. Time
was when members OF congress would
keep the White house informed if they
intended introducing bills or making
speeches that touched on the sphere OF
she executive. As consequence little
evidences of a lack of teamwork are
exaggerated into reports of friction.
The Treaty Incident.
The most important case in point has
Just been cleared zap at the White house.
Everybody who heard Senator Lodge
make his speech advocating passage OF
the Knox resolution was surprised to
hear him express the opinion that the
Versailles treaty couldn't be modified by
reservations in such a way as to make
il satisfactory to the United States.
Not only was this 4 surprise because
Mi Lodge himself has been the author
of two sets of reservations but the i'm
preston obtained WAS that Senator
Lodge after conference with President
Harding, OF Secretary Hughes had come
to the conclusion that the Job of at
tending the treaty had been given up
as hopeless by the Harding administra
ton Inquiry was made to determine
whether the president had arrived at
that in his message to congress the
president said 1t was wiser to accept
the existing treaty with notifications
assuming of course that this can be
satisfactorily accomplished by such eX
plicit reservations and notifications az
viii secure our absolute freedom from
iuadvisable commitments and safe
guard all our essential interests
From Senator Lodge = speech il was
inferred that a conclusion had been
reached and that a new treaty with
Germany would have to be negotiated.
But a direct answer to the inquiry
brings officially from the Harding admin
istration the response that it knows OF
Charles Evans Hughes, legal surgeon
has not yet reported as hopeless the
task of carving out of the body Of the
Versailles treaty such parts as are OBJ
jectionable to the United States.
Causes FURRY.
Quite furry was caused among OBJ
serving diplomats when the speech OF
Senator Lodge was read by them in the
congressional record. They wondered il
the Harding administration had re
verscd itself. Now it appears that
Senator Lodge was merely expressing
personal opinion that the Job of lega
surgery couldn 7 be done He said ht
amendments. Inasmuch as the treatl
contains over 400 sections, foreign gov
ernments. it is asserted here, would moi
consider y amendments out Of proper
ton.
What the European allies want il
America 5 signature to the Versailles
treaty no matter how many reserva
tlons are made. They are apprehensive
of course that settled questions ma
nOssiblv be re-Opened bv such a cOurs
but they prefer it to the negotiation o
q separate treaty between the Unitet
States and Germany The latter move
they believe. would forever be loollet
upon by Germany az 4 wedge between
the United States and her associates il
the war and would be a source of con
tinuous embarrassment in the next dec
ade especially since the allies believ
their troubles with Germany will no
vanish with the settlement of the rep
aratiOn controversy.
Must BE Unhampered.
President Harding is just as anXiou
incidentally to make move for disarm
ament az anybody i'm the senate. He
as eager to recall the troops from tn
Rhine as Is the average American. II
wants to see the reparatiOn cOntrOvers
settled and peace made with Germany
But the constitution of the Unite
States purpOsely entrusted such ques
tions to the executive because he
dealing every day with foreign govern
ments and there is a time and occasio
for these things which cannot be d,
teTmined by any one of 435 legislator
who are not in close touch with han
penings in official and unofficial eha1
nels The chief executive has in eifct
petitioned congress to let him alor
while he steers the ship of state throu2
dangerous shoals.
Members of congress are learning
their conference at the White use thu
Mr. Harding meant what he said
his last message when he declared tn;
I'm correcting the failure of the eXecl
tive. in negotiating the most importal
treaty in the history of the natian,
no tint ppol
the senate. we would 60 to the 9TH
extreme, equally objectionable. if co
qress or the senate should assume Il
function of the executive. -
On some of the Greek islands whe
the people ~earn their living by Il
sponge fishery, no girl Is allowed
mlarry until She has brongAt un q eerta