The Washington times., 1921-04-13
new TREATY
TO Be DRAWN
Another Peace Conference, This
Time In Washington, Fore
shadowed by Message.

Another peace conference, to be
held this time in Washington instead
of Paris, was foreshadowed today by
officials in commenting upon the pro-
nouncement in President Harding's
message against a separate treaty
with the Central powers.
TO TAKE OLD PLACE.
The Presidents declaration that the
United States cannot ignore the old
world relationships and settlements
already effected means that America
IL again to take her seat in the
councils of the world. niger officials
said, and 1t was pointed out that the
complexity Of the problems presented
and the sharp conflict of interests
made 1t extremely unlikely that these
negotiations could be conducted N
any way other than across the con-
ference table.
This does not mean. however. hat
the attempt to negotiate a treaty sat
isfactory to all the powers concern I'D
may not first be made through ordin-
airy diplomatic channels. Secretary
with Ambassadors Geddes Jusserand.
Shidehara and Ricci. and he has
talked at length with Former Pre-
mier Viviani.
Presumably he is not unacquainted
with the limits to which the .oun-
tries represented by those statesmen
would be willing to go in accepting
modification of the Treaty Of Ver-
sailles. No secret is made of the
fact, however, that much ground still
remains to be covered.
TREATY TO BE USED.
The United States is going to use
the present treaty as working basis
for two reasons, 1t was made plain
today: First to make sure that Amer
lean rights and privileges are con-
firmed, and secondly, to see the eco
nomic readjustment. in which every
man, woman and child of America is
deemed to have an interest, Is made
fairly and with reasonable expedition.
To accomplish these ends some con-
tractual relation of all the interested
powers is necessary, the Administra-
ton believes, and the treaty of Yer
sailles, minus the League of Nations
covenant and other "inadvisable COM
mitments" Is expected to prove the
readiest means at hand
Passage Of a peace resolution as a
preliminary step in the process of
readjustment is insisted upon by Ad-
ministration leaders primarily for the
effect 1t will have upon the very con-
siderable element in the country
which believes the United States is at
a disadvantage because of the tech
nical state of war.
Such a resolution would not attempt
to deal on a permanent basis with
the manifold problems of treaty,
but merely would declare peace, with
ample safeguards against the surren-
der of any rights which the United
States possessed at the close of hos
tilities.
DECK CLEARED FOR TREATY.
With the decks cleared for action
by the ending of the state of war.
formal negotiations for a treaty can
be opened. The simplest procedure, II
was suggested today, would be for the
President and Secretary Hughes to
go over the treaty, eliminate the
League of Nations covenant, inter-
pellate such reservations and quail
fications as they deem necessary, and
after consulting Senate leaders and
sounding out foreign ambassadors.
present the treaty to the Senate.
There is. of course, the possibility
that in this manner the treaty can be
nodded into shape as to be acceptable
to all-the Senate. the allies and to
Germany, but officials who watched
the long drawn out proceedings at
Paris and who have studied the situa-
ton in Europe since the pact was
signed believe no such long-distance
negotiations will succeed. They are
convinced there must be another
gathering of the statesmen of the
world. and they believe Washington
is the place for such a gathering.