The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-04
HAZEL PETERSON, MOLINE, AUTO VICTIM
GERMAN POLICY
OF u. S. IS STILL
UNDETERMINED
"IrreconciIabIes" Are
Aroused by Talk of
Versailles Treaty.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial to The Argus

washington, July 4.-American
foreign policy under the Harding
administration is still an undeter-
mined fact. President Harding
himself doesn't know exactly how
peace with Germany will be rees-
tablished after the Knox-Porter
resolution declaring a state of
peace is on the statute books re-
pealing all legislation passed dur
ing the war.
Neither does Mr.. Hughes know
the formula. The highest spokes-
men of the administration officially
admit that they do not yet know
which paths they will choose in
seeking to extricate the United
States from the anomalous posi-
ton in which our foreign policy
has been ever since President Will
son declined to accept the reserva-
tions of the Republican senate to
the Versailles treaty.
Nothing but "Whispers'.
For several days there have been
whispers that Mr.. Harding would
resubmit the Versailles treaty with
explicit reservations excluding the
League of Nations covenant and
all other clauses that might involve
the United States in any obligation
to enforce the treaty. The wrath
of the 'irreconcilable" group in
congress, which is just as much op-
posed to the treaty as to the league,
slowly gathered. The whispers
have grown softer. No longer is it
repeated that the president has de-
termined upon a course of action
The only thing that is said is that
Mr.. Harding's words in his last
message to congress have not been
withdrawn. He declared it would
be wiser for the United States ito
engage under the existing treaty"
rather than to negotiate new
treaty.
Secretary Hughes has been carv-
ing the Versailles treaty. 1t has
been a painstaking job. He has
done it quietly and without public
ity He hasn't finished. The big
question of whether it is practi-
cable to handle the matter by sub
hitting the Versailles treaty with
reservations has not yet been ar
swered and there is a lingering
hope among the irreconcilables that
Mr.. Harding will not find it wiser
to engage under the existing treaty
but will make a new treaty after
all. Mr.. Harding has insisted that
the next step was the negotiation
of a treaty of amity and commerce
with Germany. The American gov
ernment could include as many
portions of the Versailles treaty
as desired and yet not have
the document labeled Versailles
treaty. But then the question
arises as to whether the United
States is entitled to the rights of
victorious possession which the al
lies claim were given the United
States along with the allies only
upon condition that the Versailles
treaty be ratified. In other words
the rights are no longer Germany's
but have been handed to the al
lies and the contract in which Ger
many gave those rights away is
the Versailles treaty.
Hughes Ability Counts.
Mr.. Hughes ability as a jurist
comes in handy and he has already
solved many a knotty question OF
Ia" III Tic lhlCAI VI obobC-
His logical mind made simple
case of the mandate controversy
and reduced the Mexican question
to a plain statement of law.
But July first is here and the
foreign policy of the administra-
ton as it enters the second half of
the year has not been defined laSse-
" because of a fear of conflicting
elements in the senate on the one
hand and an effort on the other
hand to steer clear of the Wilson
policies. To date therefore the
Harding administration has found
it necessary to use the supreme
council as a means of communfca-
ton with the rest of the world and
when it comes to expurgatins the
Versailles treaty of those provi-
sions which vested the settlement
of certain questions in the council
of the League of Nations, the
American proposal probably will
be to have those same questions re-
ferred instead to the supreme coun-
Gil or international commissions
especially formed for the purpose.
Can't Forget Allied Debts.
Some of those who have been op-
posed to the ratification OF the Yer