Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-08-24
TRYING TO MAKE
UP LOST YEARS
AMERICA UNDERTAKING TO DO
WHAT WAS PROVIDED FOR
IN VERSAILLES TREATY.
REALIZED IN WASHINGTON
Ratification of Pact In 1919 Would
Have speeded Recovery From War
Effects and Spared Present Admin
istration Much Trouble.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

Washington.-The new administra-
ton is reminded every day that ratl-
hcation OF the Versailles treaty by the
i United States senate i'm 1919 would
have relieved the administration of a
lot of trouble. Everyone of the
leading questions relating to intepa-
/ uonal affairs that are now up would
have been answered by ratification.
There Is "A general agreement that If
the treaty had been disposed OF with
In couple Of months after Il was
submitted 10 the senate on July 10
1919, the world would. by this time,
\ have been we'll ON the road 10 recOv-
cry from the effects of great war.
The President, the secretary of state
and the attorney general are still try
/ ing 10 find out what a congressional
I technical peace resolution means. IL
| the treaty had been ratified, no such
resolution would ever have been pro
posed, for II would not have been nee
essary. and the new administration
would have been spared all the worry
I IL has taken on over the problem of
\ what TO do with this resolution now
that II has it.
Limitation Of Armaments.
Public sentiment at home and
/ abroad has compelled the new admin
istration to take the Initiative in a
movement for limitation OF arma-
ments. Obviously, il the Versailles
treaty had been ratified, the United
/ States would not have been put 10 the
necessity OF inviting the principal al
/ lied powers OF the world to meet 1t in
a conference on limitation OF arma-
ments. The men who wrote the treaty
/ saw clearly that limitation Of arma-
meutS must come IL the world was TO
4 be spared a greater burden OF taxation
\ than IL could bear, and IL effective
steps toward preserving world peace
were TO be taken, and so the treaty
] made provision for taking up the sub
/ ject OF disarmament or limitation OF
ornaments.
The representatives of other ma
tlons here while giving the plan for
I Limitation of ornaments their cordial
support, remark that IL the United
\ States had ratified the treaty IN the
fall of 1919. limitation of ornaments
would, In all probability. be effective
/ today. 1t Is reasonable TO assume,
these diplomats point out, that limi-
u tation Of arnnments would have been
one of the first steps taken by the
League of Nations. Indeed. the coun-
I ell did take up this subject at its first
meeting. but because the United
States senate had not ratified the
I treaty. the council did not deem II
wise to undertake to commit the other
powers TO any plan for limitation.
Then there Is the association OF ma
/ tIons. which the new administration
has promised the world. II presents
a hard problem-a problem that prom
\ Ises to give the new administration
/ as much trouble as constitutional
peace with the central powers Of Eu-
( rope or limitation OF ornaments. OF
course. II the Versailles treaty had
been ratified the new administration
would not be engaged In trying to plan
an association of nations equally as
good" as the League OF Nations.
Trying to Catch Up.
The truth Is that the United States
/ Is today trying TO make up for almost
two years Of lost time IN international
affairs. In four months end a half
/ the new administration has become
/ convinced that the work OF the Paris
/ conference was not, after all. wholly
bad. The treaty In It's present form
can never be accepted by the United
/ States. the administration Says-par-
\ ticularly that portion OF the treaty pro
yiding for the League OF NatiOns-but
I this government realizes lot only the
\ Importance but the necessity OF the
world doing things which the Paris
conference said IL should do. and for
which that conference made provision
/ In the treaty.
The principle underlying the foreign
policy OF the Harding administration
I Is almost Identical with the principle
i which guided the Wilson adminlstra-
tion in dealing with world affairs. The
/ former administration advocated an
after-the-wnr policy OF world cooper
alton. The peace conference at Paris
undertook 10 bring about that coop
GRAFTON through a League OF Nations.
| The Harding administration seems dis
posed TO 20 as far as its predecessor
IN urging world cooperation. II has
a way OF its own in approaching inter
national subjects; IL takes up things
which the former administration han
died and renames them. but II is striv-
ing to attain the same ends which the
former administration sought to at
tain.
War Weapons Developed Rapidly.
While the immediate purpose Of the
five great powers in limitation Of
ornaments IS 10 save money, the ulu-
mate object IS, of course. TO save
human lives. Every one Of the powers
.hat win Ia ronrpSpnted I'm the con-