The Colorado statesman., 1921-08-20
AMERICA UNDERTAKING TO 90
WHAT WAS PROVIDED FOR
IN VERSAILLES TREATY.
REALIZED IN WASHINGTON
Ratification Of Pact in 1919 Would
Have Speeded Recovery From War
Effects and Spared Present Admin
stration Much Trouble.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

| tiCutiOn of the Versailles treaty oy the
| United States senate In 1919 would
have relieved the administration OF
lot of trouble. Everyone of the
leading questions relating to internh-
| tional affairs that are now up wOulu
| have been answered by ratlncntlon.
| There is Il general agreement that IL
the treaty had been disposed of with
in II couple of months after il was
submitted to the senate on July H.
1919, the world would, by this time'
have been well on the road to recOV-
cry from the effects Of II great war.
The President, the secretary of state
and the attorney general are still try
| ing To find out what congressional
technical peace resolution means. III
the treaty had been ratified, no such
resolution would ever have been pro-
posed. for II would not have been nee
essary. and the new administration
would have been spared all the worry
| il has taken on over the problem OF
what to do with this resolution now
that it has IT,
Limitation of Armaments.
Public sentiment ut home and
abroad has compelled the new admin
istration to take the initiative in a
movement for limitation of nrnla-
ments. Obviously, If the Versailles
treaty had been ratified the United
States would not have been put to the
necessity of inviting the principal al
lied powers of the world to meet II in
conference ON limitation of nrma-
memtS The men who wrote the treaty
SAW clearly that limitation Of arma-
ments must come If the world was 10
be spared greater burden of taxation
than it could bear, and If effective
steps toward preserving world peace
were 10 he taken. and so the treaty
made provision for taking up the sub
iect of disarmament or limitation OF
armaIncI.,'.
The representatives of other ma
tious here while giving the plan for
Limitation of armuments their cordial
support. remark that II the United
Suites had ratified the treaty in the
fall Of 1919. Limitation of urinaments
would. in all probability. be effective
today. 1t is reasonable 10 assume,
these diplomats point out, that liml-
tation of armunlents would huve been
one of the first steps taken by the
League of Nations. Indeed. the coun-
ell did take up this subject AT its first
meeting. but because the United
States senate had not ratified the
treaty, the council did not deem 1t
wise To undertake to commit the other
powers to any plan for limitation.
Then there Is the association Of ma
tions which the new administration
has promised the world. 1t presents
hard problem-a problem that prom
.ses to give the new administration
as much trouble as constitutional
peace with the central powers of Eu-
rope or limitation of armaElentS. OF
course, If the Versailles treaty had
been ratified the new administration
would not he engaged in trying to plan
an ussociation of nations equally as
good" as the League of Nations.
Trying to Catch Up.
The truth Is that the United States
Is today trying TO make up for almost
two years of lost time in international
affairs In four months and half
the new administration has become
convinced that the work of the Paris
conference was not, after all, wholly
bad. The treaty in its present form
can never he accepted by the United
| States. the administration SayS-par-
ticularly that portion of the treaty pro-
viding for the League of Nations-but
this government realizes not only the
importance but the necessity of the
world doing things which the Paris
conference said it should do. and for
| which that conference made provision
| I'm the treaty.
The principle underlying the foreign
policy of the Harding administration
is almost identical with the principle
which guided the Wilson administra-
| tion in dealing with world affairs. The
former administration advocated an
after-the-war policy Of world cooper
alton. The peace conference ut Paris
undertook to bring about that COOP
Grafton through League of Nations
The Harding administration seems dis
posed to 20 as far as its predecessor
in urging world cooperation. 1t has
a way of its own in approaching inter
national subjects; it takes up things
which the former administration ham
died and renames them, but 1t is striv-
| ing to attain the same ends which the
former administration sought to at
tain.
War Weapons Developed Rapidly.
While the immediate purpose of the
five great powers in limitation of
armaments is to save money, the ulti
mate object is, OF course. to save
human lives. Every one of the powers
that will be represented in the con-
ference here is concerned over the
| rapid development OF destructive
| ,ya.,nons nf If is shtfnl saw