The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-03-28
By DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1921.


Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON, March %. = More
than anything else, the announcement
By the Harding administration of it's
policy toward Russia has served to ac
centuate the fact that when it gets
down to bed rock there is fundament-
ally little difference between the Repub-
lican and Democratic view of what
Americas duties and obligations are I'M
matters of foreign policy.
Everybody expected sweeping changes
when President Harding was elected
changes in personnel as well as policies.
1t was argued that the Democratic ad-
ministration was full of incompetent
and that there ought TO be a house
cleaning in Washington. That was til
campaign view.
The sober, second thought that comes
upon surveying a situation with full re-
sponsibility of action has had its effect
here. Few changes in personnel have
been made. More than one cabinet Of
ticer is pleading with Democratic Office
holders to stay on and give the govern
ment the benefit OF experience gained
in one of the most difficult periods of
American history, when problems of the
war intensified the activity of govern
ment officials and gave them a broader
| training than was possible in normal
times.
Wilson Policy Upheld.
Now as to foreign policy, the Harding
administration has not only upheld the
| Wilson policy toward Russia, but has
| gone a step further, in specifically out
| lining the conditions upon which inter
| nal affairs shall develop in Russia. The
Wilson administration was content to
| base its arguments against the recogni-
| ton of Lenine in Russia or Huerta in
Mexico on grounds that had to do with
existing authority to respect interna-
| tional obligations. Only in the case of
| the protection of American life and
property, as well as with the failure of
Huerta was there tendency to specify
| the conditions under which the Mexican
people should be required to regulate
was leyelled at the Wilson administra
ton for interfering with the domestic
affairs of another country that Secre
tary Colby, in handling the Russian
problem, kept hands off internal ques
tiOns and insisted that Russia live up
to international obligations and cease
her policy of interfering in the domesti
affairs of the United States by commun
istic and bolshevistic propaganda.
Hughes Sets Up Standards. .......
No argument was made against the
application of bolshevistic theories in
side Russo. The compliant was against
trying 10 impose these theories outside
of Russia. The note sent by Secretary.
Hughes, with the full approval of Presi-
dent Harding and the cabinet, sets forth
the conditions under which the Russian
government and people shall manage
their economic life by due regard for
the safety of life, the sanctity of con-
tract, the recognition OF firm guarantees
of private property and the rights OF
LII q hot
it is idle to expect resumption OF
trade, until the economic bases of pro.
duction are securely established and
these bases" are of course American
standards and not Russian standards.
In nut shell, the British government
resumed trade with Russia because of
belief that bolshevism was collapsing
and that Lenine was turning to the
eapitalistic theories of production and
economic life, and that his speeches
We're sufficient evidence of the converse
ton The American government de-
mands convincing evidence'-in other
words, deeds as well as words. The sim
| ilarity in the Harding and Wilson poll
cies on the question OF recognizing
government in q country where there has
been revolution lies in the idea that the
| United States has right to prescribe
the conditions of internal development.
| Mr. Wilson tried to regulate the politi
cal affairs of Mexico, while Mr.. Harding
| is endeaYoring to reach the same result
| by a regulation of the economic affairs
| of Russia. Both administrations insist
that the extension of recognition carries
with it certain requirements that af
| feet the internal life of the country
/ seeking official recognition.
Say Policy VIII Fail.
| The question OF effectiveness is still
to be determined There are those in
the official and diplomatic group here
who insist that the Harding policy can
no more succeed than did the Wilson
policy in making another people see the
\ error of their ways. and that interior
ence from the outside tends rather to
| stimulate nationalism inside the other
country and make external interference
| rallying point for demagogic leaders.
| But the encouraging side of the whole
| business, from the view point of those
who favor international cooperation in
stead of American aloofness, is that Mr.
| Hughes has brushed aside the arguments
/ about foreign entanglements and dicta
| tion to European countries as opposed
to a purely continental policy for this
| hemisphere and has recognized the inn
Dortance of settling the Russian prob
| lem for the benefit of world peace.
| In the sense that the Harding admin
| stration has taken its stand on the
| Russian question from a worldwide
point, the friends of international CO.
| operation, who favor either a league or
| association of nations. are expressing
the opinion that in the course of time
the principles of the Harding and Will
so policies on that question will also