Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-24
AMERICA TO MAKE
PACTS WITH ALLIES
Treaties Will Define Position of
U. S. and Rights in Man.
dated Territory
PLAN SUGGESTED BY LODGE
BY CLINTON w. GILBERT

Washington, Sept. 24.-With the
early ratification of the Harding treaty
with Germany assured by acquiescencc
Of the President and the Secretary Of
state In the Borah reservation. the Ad-
ministration is moving forward in the
negotiation Of treaties with the prin-
cipal allied Powers which will define
the position of the United States and
it's rights in inundated territories.
These treaties are necessary to COM
plete the settlement of the issues left
by the failure Of the Government to
rntify the Versailles Treaty outright.
The treaty with Germany now before
the Senate accepts large part Of the
Versailles Treaty. But It rejects the
sections containing the covenant Of the
League Of Nations.
The German colonies and Turkish
territory we're left largely to the League
of Nations to dispose of under man
dates. and have been awarded to Great
Britain, France. Italy, Japan and Bel
gium. The United States will have to
make treaties with all these Powers to
define it's rights in territory thus placed
under their control. Sharp issues have
arisen, chiefly over American rights and
opportunities in the oil-bearing terri
tory of Mesopotalnia, won from Turkey
by Great Britain, and over the Island
| Of zap. awarded to Japan as one Of
| tor.
Colby Began Controversy
Mr. Hughes inherited a controversy
| h,, NIr rft
Iap and with Great Britain over Mes
| obotamia. His contention was that the
inundated territory had been redcd by
Germany and Turkey to the principal
allied and associated Powers, of which
| the United States was one, that the
| United States bad had no part in the
subsequent disposition of this territory,
not being n member of the League Of
Nations and not having ratified the
Versailles Treaty, and that, therefore.
It had lost no right and interest In
the territory in question.
1t is understood that the justice of
| this position has been recognized by
the great Powers. And the new trca-
ties with respect to the territory will
merely define what those rights and in
tercsts are. They may cover also the
disposition of the German lands on
which an agreement has been reached.
In the case Of Japan the treaty will
| cover specifically the case of zap, re-
garding which this Government and
| Japan are now agreed and the Ameri-
can rights as one OF the victors of the
war in the Pacific Islands north of the
Equator formerly belonging to Ger
| many.
Under the mandates all members of
the League Of Nations enjoy equal com
| mn a. oh 70 of n
all territory covered by them. The
United States, not being a member Of
| the League, has no assurance of such
rights. The treaties will cover this
defeCt.
This program of separate treaties
! with the Allies and n separate treaty
with Germany is substantially what
was suggested by Senator Lodge, speak
ing for the irreCOnCilables last spring
when the new Administration took office.
At that time the Administration in
clined TO accept the Versailles treaty
with amendments.
Favored Present Treaty
Mr.. Harding said in his address to
Congress on April IL: "The wiser
course would seem to be the acceptance
Of the confirmation Of our rights and
interests as already provided and to en-
gage under the existing treaty, assum
ing. Of course, that this can be salts
factorily accomplished by s':ch explicit
reservations and notifications as will
secure our absolute freedom from in
advisable commitments and safeguard
all our essential interests"
The words reservations and mod
ifications" indicate that the Admins
tration at that time was thinking of an
amended treaty of Versailles rather
than the series of separate treaties
which now emerge.
:. When the whole fight against the
treaty is considered, the Senate has now
n complete victory. The Versailles
treaty has bleen rejected. A separate
treaty with Germany has been nego
tiated and separate treaties with the
other powers are in process. The
League of Nations has been abandoned
And finally, through the Borah reserva
ton, the Senate has written into the
war settlement the principle for which
it contCnded in its struggle with Pres
idcnt Wilson, that American represen-
tation In the post war international or
ganization must take place only with its
advice and consent.
Overlooked Point
In negotiating a treaty with Germany
IN WhlCn tAls prlnclplc was not feCOg
nized, Mr.. Hughes and Mr.. Harding
overlooked logical difficulty. Mr..
Harding, as Senator, had voted for a
reservation in which that right of the
Senate was insisted upon. The Re
pubiicans OF the Senate had committed
themselves to it. Logically it was i'm
possible to 60 ahead with treaty
drawn as the German treaty was. Sen
ator Borah perceived this logical diff
Guilty and made the most OF 1t, with the
result that the President and Secretary
Hughes gracefully accepted the rescr
: vatiOn.
The Senate is weak today, because
it Is broken up into groups and blocs
: and factions incapable Of united action
Yet it has maintained itself against
the greatest program of executive ag-
grandzement that has ever been sug
gested, the one President Wilson
brought back from Europe in his treaty
! Technically this incident probably
marks "A turning point in the relations
E of the executive and legislative branche,
of tho Government. All the Senate
needs now is strong men and unity tC
take once more the comma anding posi-
tion in public affairs it had in the
nineties. Stranger things have happened