The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-10-01
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

lie OF 1feal service 10 EuTOpe.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer)
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-SpOkeSmen
of the government here explained yester
day that if officials of the league of ma
tions think the United States has changed
it's attitude toward that body simply be-
cause several unanswered communica-
lions from the league have suddenly been
answered. they are attaching too much
significance to an ordinary act of polite |
ness.
Geneva dispatches tell of the great
lgratifcation of officials of the league be-
cause Secretary Hughes has entered into
| correspondence at last with that organ
ization, The fact is the United States
government learned few weeks ago
through the press that the league of ma
tions sec?etariat was criticising the
| United States for failing to answer let
tiers. Secretary Hughes promptly had
search made of state department files and
| discovered that since many of the COM
munications were in the form of, printed
circulars they had been pigeonholed with
! out replies. He ordered that all the let
! ters and circulars and notes be rounded
up and promptly acknowledged
II The terms of the replies are identi-
| cal and set forth the American govern
4 mentS attitude in n single sentence which
D says note is taken of this information
! for any purpose of relevancy to the
d United States which is not a member of
The league of nations
h No Disrespect to League
II In other words the American govern
ment does not wish to be disreSpectful
to the league but it has explained that
4 so far as the United States is concerned
Estate" 1t the Washington government
has anything to take up with the league
it will do 80 by sending notes to the in
4 Cividual powers which make up that
| body. Under no circumstances will the
II league of nations be recognized as hay
ing jurisdiction over purely American
rights or questions.
4 Incidentally, this correspondent learns
/ further that the Harding administration
hopes its attitude will not be miscOn-
Strued a. one of hostility to the league
/ of nations in such parts of the world
4 and with respect to such nations as do
accept its jurisdiction. Any thought that
I the Harding administration has set on n
| deliberate course of killing the league,
is absolutely without foundation. There
ment The United States government Is
composed of many persons some of whom
Il like the league and others of whom dis
\ like it. But the traditional policy of the
Il United States has been to encourage all
organizations which have for their object
II the preservation of peace. Not a person
connected with the administration is au-
/ thorized To raise Il hand either here or
Il abroad against the success of the work
undertaken ut Geneva. This declaration
cannot be too strongly worded, for 1t ~
Il fact.
Indeed, the hope here is that the
II league of nations will 50 thoroughly es-
II tabiish itself that it may help the league
of Old world nations solve problems
4 which are largely their own. 1t Is rec
ognized that a stabilized Europe means
q revival Of American trade and indus
H trial prosperity here. But aside from
II that there is enough altruism and ideal
II ism to want to see every international or
ganZation succeed with respect to those
nations which Belong to it.
Not Interfering With South America
As for the New world the central and
south American Republics are tied to the
II United States by bonds of friendship
stronger than any formal institution.
The United States is not urging South
II American countries to withdraw from the
league. For Old world problems it may
be convenient for the nations to the
south OF us TO nave point OF contact
with the league but most aSSuredly the
United States will proceed hereafter on
every Central and South American ques-
ton affecting the United States exactly
as it would have proceeded in 1914 when
there was no league of nations. Even the
covenant of the league q accepted by
Woodrow Wilson contained a phrase to
the effect that nothing in the league
should affect the validity of regional
understandings like the Monroe Doe
trine." Some objected that this wasn't
broad enough but inasmuch America
didn't join the league, the Interpretation
of that clause is superfiuous. So far as
this government is concerned, the Monroe
Doctrine remains and the league of ma
tons is a regional understanding itself
in which the United States viii not in
terfere. Purely European questions can
be settled by the league of nations.
American questions will be settled by the
limited StatpS in consultation with her