The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-07-06
May SUBMIT
VERSAILLES
PACT AGAIN
Serious Misconceptions Pre-
Simplest Way Out
Nav be to Consider Treaty
Without League of Nations.
GERMANY MORTGAGED
ny MARK SULLIVAN

by MARK SULLIVAN
WASHINGTON, July 6.-There is
a general belief that Secretary
Hughes has a plan in mind for the
next step in our foreign relations,
and there is universal confidence in |
Secretary Hughes ability to make the
best of a difficult situation.
Beyond this there is nothing to be !
said as TO what is going, to be done, |
now that the peace resolution is rec
ognized as more or less innocuous, |
in affective, and merely technical.
There are. however, serious miscon-
ceptions on the subject of what is now
possible to do The cheerful talk
about negotiating new treaty OF
amity and commerce with Germany
omits an important fact. Germany is
not now free to negotiate any sort OF
treaty of commerce that she may feel
like negotiating. Germany is under
mortgage, so to speak, to the allies.
Germany is in the position of bank
rupt in the hands of trustees. Any
body who wants to deal with Germany
must consult the trustees.
Allies Control
The allies can permit Germany to
do just as much or just as little in the
way of a treaty with the United
States as seems eXpedient to the al
lies. In short, the allies have a veto
and an extremely large regulatory
power over any negotiations between
Germany and the United States look
ing to a new treaty.
In point of fact, when and IL we
now set out to make a seperate treaty
rrriF a NJ w
not with Germany, but with Germany's
guardian, the allies. Whether we like
it or not, the fact is that in making
the new treaty with Germany, which
everybody now contemplates, we will
be dealing really with the allies and
will actually be to use President
Harding's phase, engaging under the
Versailles treaty" The allies are
bound to each other by the Versailles
treaty, and Germany's relations to the
allies are determined by the Versailles
treaty, and any new relation which We
may now set up with Germany must
be determined and limited by the Yer
sailles treaty.
See Easiest Way.
Under these circumstances, pene-
trating persons here in Washington
reafirm what President Harding said
in April, namely. that the simplest way
for us to get out of the dilemma and
resume normal relations with Ger
many and the rest of the world would
be for President Harding to resubmit
to the Senate the Versailles treaty,
with the League of Nations excepted,
and with all other necessary qualifica-
tions That this is the simplest way to
go about it is incontrovertible.
Against this fact must be balanced
another. In any interference which
the allies may quite reasonably set
up to affect our new treaty with Ger,
many, we have no formal or legal
right to protest. Their position as
holder of the mortgage is incontest
able But we do have a strength OF
position where in any trading OF
negotiating on this subject between
the allies and the United States will
serve us strongly.
We are in a position such that tn
allies will be sure to hesitate to take
an unreasonable position with regard
to new treaty between Germany anC
ourselves. The allies owe us a grea
deal of money, on which the interes
is overdue. In many other respect:
we have an economic and financia
position which the allies are sure t.
regard with respect and which car
be used as 4 counter weapon to tn
allies position of guardian over Ger
many.
Are Bound Morally.
Having stated this. it also is to b.
stated that this is not a pleasant wa.
to look at the subject. We are NOR
or less morally bound to respect th
position of mortgage which the allie
have over Germany. We would be il
an unpleasant position if we shoul
force the issue and insist upon makin
with Germany n kind of treaty whiCl
would be displeasing TO the allies, 0
which would interfere with the allies
relation to Germany. Specifically
there is hardly any American VIII
would like to see US insisting upon
form of treaty with Germany. whic
in its tariff and trade clauses Nigh
impair the arrangements which tn
allies have already made to Germany
IN order to give them prior rights owe
ell OF Germany's resources.
Those who seek any other way a
rive at all kinds of curious end
There are some who say, for eXampl,
that we can take the ground that OF
old treaty with Prussia written
1928, is now automatically revived
and that since that old treaty is pric
in time to the Versailles treaty. the
we can ignore the latter This is ia
fetched reasoning, and would nevt
occur TO anybody except in a frant
and legalistic attempt to avoid enga
ing under the Versailles treaty.
Whether President Harding wi
choose the course of resuming II
Versailles treaty no person can te
Continued on Page Eleven)
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