Evening star., 1921-08-18
Editorial Digest.
Secret Diplomacy.


Editorial comment on the reported
secret treaty negotiations with Ger
! many Is found chiefly in democratic
papers. Its general tNnor 10 not 20
| much a criticism of the element Of
secrecy in the proceedings. which is.
| IN fact. defended by several writer's, as
1t Is a taking to task of Senator
Lodge and other "irreconcilabIes" for
their apparent approval Of a course of
action on the part of President Hard
ing which they SO bitterly assailed
when President Wilson followed 1t.
The Anaconda Standard demo
cratic) expresses the belief, that the
new treaty will be identical in spirit"
with the Versailles pact. but in diff
ferent phraseology": In short. ''Iiamlet
will on no account be left out, but
the play will have q new name" It
is questionable, however, to the Mem
phis Commercial-Appeal (democratic)
that Germany will acquiesce in such
an arrangement. since what she con-
sented to in the treaty of Versailles
was under the force Of compulsion,"
while what she may agree to in a
separate peace will be what she
imasinsa Ia for the best interests Of
The fact that any discussion of the
outcome OF the diplomatic exchanges
must be wholly speculative is protest
ed against by many papers, among
them the Fort Wayne Journal-Ga-
zette !democratic), which exclaims
negotiations are on between this gov
ernment and Berlin for q treaty of
some sort. but apparently the nature
even of the treaty is not considered a
subject in which the common herd
have any interest"
President Harding is treating with
"a nominally enemy nation" the
Lynchburg News (democratic) asserts,
while the American people and the
American Congress. and even the for
eign relations committee Of the Senate,
know nothing about what he is pro.
posing. to what ends he is striving,
what demands he is making, what
counter proposals he may be consider
ing"
The American peoples most bitter
complaint against the Versailles
treaty" the Muskegon Chronicle (in-
dependenD recalls. was that it had
not been fabricated in the light of
day." and the paper fears that the
final result Of this second effort to
formulate an agreement in the dark
will see an opportunity to embar-
rass the administration with a show
of standing on principle" and defeat
ratification in retaliation for the re-
publican fight on the Versailles treaty.
But while 1t is perfectly true" the
Jersey City Journal independently
comedies. that President Harding is
going about the proposed German
treaty In a thoroughly orthodox fash
ion." that. nevertheless. "is q presi-
Dental function and it is none Of the
Senate's business" and the paper adds,
IN
when President Wilson was in Of
flee" The procedure under the new
administration is right" the Louis
vile Post Independently holds. exact
ly as Mr.. Wilson was right"
The Harrisburg Patriot Undepend-
ent democratic) pictures Senator
Lodge as apparently as ignorant Of
what Is taking place between the
White House and Friedrichstrassei in
Berlin as the elevator man." Tie
acterixes Lodge as a political hydra"
creature so constructed that 1t is
able. as necessity dictates. to turn it.
self inside out
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (in-
dependent democratic) agrees with
when he very properly says that
there is no treaty before the Senate"
but In view of the senator's record in
the matter of the Versailles treaty
uThWb tne CONCLUSION tn6t 1T HOuiO
seem to make q big difference who is
President" Tho Hartford Times
(democratic) also regrets that Senator
Lodges "better stateSmanship'' seems
to be reserved for the periods when
q republican happens to be President"
This spirit Of rubbing it in" is
deprecated by the Brooklyn Eagle
independent democratic). however.
which feels that the important fact
is that the President and Secretary
Hughes are working toward q definite
and worthy end" and rather than fol-
lowing the lead of Senators Harrison
and Williams. democratic senators
should rejoice "to see the new ad-
ministration making such progress in
the right direction"
The attack on Senator Lodge is
based on a fictitious parallel" in the
opinion of the New York Tribune (re-
publican), which refutes "the assump-
tion that PreAdent Harding Is imi-
tating his predecessor" One may be
quite sure, 1t adds. that II the Presi-
dent were following Wilson ''in any
real fashion" in the matter Of secret
diplomacy "he would soon hear from
Senator Lodge and the Senate"