Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-14
HARDING S MESSAGE
ASKS AMENDMENT
FOR PEACE TREATY
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal,)
(Cony,.ight 1927

NCopyElSuLJ l0-i'J
WASHINGTON, April 12.-Presi-
dent Harding sprang a big surprise
in his first address to congress. He
did not turn his back altogether on
either the Versailles treaty or the
League of Nations. He came out flat
Nv for amendment and modification of
the Versailles past. He urged Its
acceptance with explicit reserva-
tions and notifications" He rejected
the covenant of the existing league"
but pointed out the basis upon which
America would enter "a league" or
an Association of nations"
If the European governments will
separate the league from the Versal-
les treaty, that is if they will change
the character of the league so that
a. member of it will not be compell-
ed to enforce the provisions Of the
treaty itself, America Will join. This
is precisely the view urged by Her
bert Hoover-and outlined in these
dispatches a few weeks ago.
Just before the president read his
address to congress, the Republicans
on the senate foreign relations COM
mittee were assembled at the WHITE
House. AS they filed out-Messrs'
Borah, Johnson, Brandegee, Moses
Mccormick and others of the So
called "irreconcilable" group express
ed themselves as delighted with the
message. That means harmony pc
tween the legislative and executive
branches of the government ana
compromise at last between the eA-
IRENE viewpoint held by the wilson
neo6ie and the "bitter-ender" idea
which was to scrap the whole league
and the whole treaty. -.
Mr.. Harding has reverted TO ms
campaign pledges-he will make use
of existing machinery and Will hot
endeavor to rebuild on entirely freSh
foundations. He will try to make the
allies see hiatt the highest aims OF
ciyiliza tion-a permanent peace-can
be better attained by separating the
league from the enforcement OF any
treaty so that when treaties tnenl-
selves cause disputes the league can
be a sort of super-trlbunal 10 which
an appeal can be made ana an LII
partial judgment rendered.
Most Significant Utterance
The most significant utterance IN
the entire message is the following
"There can be no prosperity LOT
the fundamental purposes sought TO
be achieved by any such ASSOCIATION
so long as it is the organ OF any
particular treaty or committed TO
the attainment of the special ann s
of any nation or group of nations.
But Mr.. Harding doesn't propose
scrapping all the machinery OF a
treaty which has the signature OF
forty nations. Instead he says:
at would be idle to declare for
separate treaties of peace with the
Central powers on the assumption
that these alone would be adequate
because the situation is so involved
that our peace engagements cannot
IGNORE the odd world relationship and
the settlements already effected, nor
is it desirable to do so in preSerV-
ing our own rights and contracting
future relationships. The wiser
course would seem to be the accep-
lance of the confirmation of our
rights and interests as already pro-
vided and to engage under the ex-
listing treaty, assuming of course,
that this can be satisfactorily &C
complished by such exploit reserva-
tions and notifications as will Sc
cure our absolute freedom from in
advisable commitments and safe
guard all our essential interests"
But Mr. Harding sprang some
affairs. He fearlessly expressed
himself on many subjects which it
was thought were too delicate even
to mention. He told congress to
stop haggling about whether it was
wiser to revise the tariff or the tax
laws first. He told the congress to
do both and get the job done. He
recognized the idea that eve can
not sell unless we buy" but insisted
that a protective tariff wasI neces-
sary in order to give American in
dustries the capacity to sell" He
insisted that he would not permit
greed or selfishness or any other
abuse in making up the protective
tariff laws. He gave his views on
the high cost of government must
be cut down as an example to those
who should cut the high cost of
living. He pointedly referred to
non-perishable staples and said that
while they would be "slow in yield
ing to lowered prices, the maintain
ed retail costs in perishable foods
cannot be Justified"
Armament Question
The president advocated a con-
gressional inquiry as a means of
speeding price readjustment. He
suggested that congress do some
more investigating on the railroad
problem-a mint that perhaps the
Esch-Cummins law might need
amendment. He wants the federal
laws on good roads amended and
strengthened. He argued for better
press rates on cable and radio for
the American newspaper reader. He
spoke hopefully of the opportunities
Of the all mail service.
Mr.. Harding is against making an
independent branch of government
Continued on Page 6, Column 81