The Washington herald., 1921-05-15
8 FRaHk,H. sIMoND&

nE FRask,H. sIMoNDS
. lspls>-ss,e eztsnt TO which the
Ec<>< Of the decision 70 participate
p Eorepsan councils has been sur
sonn1ea xfth limiting conditions.
there Is no mfstakinE the fact that
President Harding. following the adj
Eice OF the members OF his Cab
met whose relations with foreign
policy are closest. led by Mr.. Hughes.
has taken n momentous step the
consequences of which can hardly
be limited by any contemporary
korecast We have literally gone
back to Europe. even though the
extent of our intermingling in Eu-
Fopean Affairs be limited strictly to
The economic field; henceforth iso-
bation 10 a thing of the past.
Victory Mt Outset.
We have then at the outset a
Victory for that position which Mr..
Hughes and others took at the out
BET Of the new administration. the
position which Mr.. Harding indi-
sated in his April message to Con-
gress- This position is something
auite different from the wilsonian
gospel which took US to Europe to
make the world safe for democ-
racy. Wat Mr.. Hughes would have
ns assist in doing is in the task
Df making the world safe for busi-
ness, and for American business in
particular.
But, accepting this wholly limit
I'D conception, the essential fact re-
mains that henceforth the United
States accepts the role and the re-
sponsibility Of a world power. in
association with other world powers.
Hhe situation in which the new
President found the foreign Tela-
tions of his country was patiently
Impossible. We had signed a treaty
Ut Versailles, the treaty had been
rejected in Washington. the defeat
ID President had withdrawn us from
hll participation in international
discussions. But the discussions hal
gone on, decisions had been reached.
real estate disposed of and Amer
bcan rights and interests totally ig-
bored
= Restore q. 5. Rights.
II was Inevitable, then, that Pres
tdent Harding and his Secretary of
State should undertake, as their
Hrst foreign business, the restora-
tion of American rights which hal
been invaded during that time when
we stood aside from all world af-
fairs-that Is, for the last year of
President Wilson's term. Hence we
bad the succession of notes which
covered the questions of Yap, Meso-
potamian oil and mandates gener-
billy.
Meantime there arose the great
German crisis, the approach of that
hate on which Germany would inev-
-hably be in default so far as her
obligations uner the treaty of Ver-
bailles were concerned. On May 1
bot only would Germany have failed
10 meet the required payments, but
ehe would also have failed to COM
ply with pledges the most important
pf which was her agreement to dis
arm. This failure. moreover, was
Pertain to be accompanied by MILL
tary action on the part of France
stand on Ruhr.
From an American standpoint
such military action was bound to
be expensive. The United States
WAS already suffering acutely from
business depression, due in part, at
least. to the collapse of the Euro
pean markets. which was again, a
eonsequence of political conditions.
was in fact in the main a conse-
,srence of the continued absence of
settlement of the reparations
question. But a new military opera
hon, the occupation Of the Ruhr,
WAS bound to unsettle the German
market still more, to postpone
tather than hasten economic re-
storation.
In this situation and with an OBJ
Fious American interest at stake.
Germany appealed to us to become
the umpire. the mediator. in re-
plity to become her saviour and her
champion Thus. in a certain sense,
Without any action on the part of
De new administration, the United
States was again entangled in Eu-
topsan affairs. For to refuse any
response to Germany was to encour-
tge French action. while to make
bny answer suggesting champion
bhip of Germany. was to put us in
eonhict with our old associates. In
, word. not even silence would res
sue us from our ENHANCEMENT.
As a consequence Mr.. Hughes un-
.aerfo0k to do two thin1s 70 ma