Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1921-09-29
KEEPING OUT AND IN
THE LEAGUE.

lnE hcAuCE.
The game that the Administration
is playing, for it is only game and
not dignifed one at that, of pre-
tending to keep clear of the League
of Nations and all its works, to-
gether with the creator of the
League, the Treaty of Versailles, and
yet claiming rights, privileges, and
advantages that can be enjoyed or
obtained only by and through the
League, has ceased to be amusing.
1t is becoming a dreary bit of nom
sense, that the people will soon be
utterly ashamed of having been
tricked into.
But, meanwhile, the game goes
merrily on in Washington, as the
Senate is putting through the sepa-
rate peace treaty with Germany, a
thing we expressly assured our AL
lies we should never, never do. The
treaty, although but a partial index
of the Treaty of Versailles, is be
ing vigorously opposed, although
with .scant prospect of defeating it,
and it is being trammeled up with
all sorts of reservations, mental and
otherwise.
1t is rather curiously maintained
by the Republicans that reserva-
tons will not require the consent
of Germany. Any alterations or ad-
ditions to a pact, it would seem,
would require the consent of all par
ties to it. But some sort of "reserva-
.tions" seems essential to modern
treaty by this country, which is
supersensitively pealous of its rights.
The President Is quite solicitous
about getting the little treaty out Of
the way before the Arms Conference
meets, and has written to the Sen
ate through Senator Lodge urging it
to act quickly. The letter, with its
thinly yelled purpose of clearing the
ground for the Conference, has ac-
trally caused a reaction, and arous-
ed more opposition to the Treaty, as
Il temporary makeshift that will
have to be patched up and eked out
by diplomatic agreements. In view
of the fact that actual peace has
reigned ever since the signing of the
Treaty of Versailles, the closing
paragraph of the Presidents letter
is REGULARLY interesting:
$ 'ornal peace has been so long
d.; ed" says the President, chat
the is no need now to emphasize
the deSirability of early action on
the part of the Senate. 1t will be
most gratifying if you and your col
leagues will find it consistent to act
pt a:ptly, so that we may put aside
IT,, last remnant of war relation
sh and hasten our return to the
f rS,nate relations of peace"
AS the resolution of ratification is
thought to prevent our taking part
in the PREPARATIONS commission under
tha Versailles Treaty, it was ex-
Eained by Senator Lodge that the
President could send personal repre-
. sentatives to act with that commits
sion. Such shift does not strike
one as sufficiently dignifed Cor 2
great power.
But administration circles" ac-
cording to the correspondent of The
Tribune, submitted another and
quite a novel view:
The acceptance by Germany of
the reservations proposed by the
Senate will not be required to vail
date them. Neither of the reserva-
tions, it was said, would affect
Germany's present understanding
of the meaning of the treaty, as
both the one providing for appoint
rleut by congress of official rep
resentatives on the Preparations
commission and the other protect
ing the rights of all nationals un-
der the treaty are wholly domestic
matters and of no possible con-
Germ TO the German government.
It is also the view of Admins
tration officials that adoption of
the reservations by the Senate will
in no way invalidate any of the
functions of American observers
who ere now sitting with Eu-
ropean commissions. It was point
ed out that the Supreme Council,
in which American Ambassador
Harvey is representiong the United
safes government, is not crea-
tirn of the Versailles treaty and
Ras no direct connection with it.
This suggests a curious attitude Of