Evening star., 1921-04-12

association Of nations. based upon
the application of justice and
right. binding US in conference
and co-operation for the preven-
tion of war and pointing the way
to q higher civilization and inter-
national fraternity in which all
the world might share. In reject
ing the league covenant and ut
tering that rejection to our own
people, and to the world. we make
no surrender of our hope and aim
for an association to promote peace
in which We would most heartily
join. We wish it to be conceived
in peace and dedicated to peace.
and will relinquish no effort to
bring the nations OF the world into
such fellowship. not in the sur
render OF national sovereignty but
rejoicing in a nobler exercise Of 1t
in the advancement Of human ac-
tivitieS amid the compensations Of
peaceful achievement
Peace With Germany.
In the national referendum to
which I have adverted We pledged
our efforts toward such associa-
ton. and the pledge will be faith
fully kept. In the plight of policy
and Performance We told the
American people We meant to
seek an early establishment of
peace. The United States alone
among the allied and associated
powers continues in a technical
state of war against the central
powers of Europe. This anoma-
lous condition ought not to be
permitted to continue. To estab-
lish the state of technical peace
without further delay, I should
approve a deciaratory resolution
by Congress to that effect, with
the qualifications essential to pro-
tect all our rights Such action
would be the simplest keeping of
faith with ourselves, and could In
no sense be construed as deser-
tion of those with whom we
shared our sacrifices in war, for
these powers are already at peace.
Such resolution should UNDER
take to do no more than thus to
declare the state of peace, which
all America Graves. It must add
no difficulty in effecting, with
just reparations, the restoration
for which all Europe yearns, and
upon which the worlds recovery
must be founded. Neither former
enemy nor ally can mistake Amer
fca's position, because our atti-
tude as to responsibility for the
war and the necessity for just
reparations already has had for
NAL and very earnest expression.
Unwdse to State Policy.
1t would be unwise to undertake
to make a statement of future
policy with respect to European
affairs in such a declaration Of a
state of peace. In correcting the
failure of the executive, in nego-
tiating the most important treaty
in the history of the nation, to
recognize the constitutional pow
ers of the Senate we would go
to the other extreme, equally OBJ
jectionable, II Congress or the
Senate should assume the function
of the executive. Our highest
duty is the preservation of the
constituted powers of each. and
the promotion of the spirit of CO.
operation so essential to our COM
mon welfare.
1t would be idle to declare for
separate treaties Of peace with the
Central powers on the assumption
that these alone would be adequate,
because the situation is SO involved
that our peace engagements can not
ignore the old world relationship and
the settlements already effected, nor
is it desirable to do SO in preserving
our own rights and contracting our
future relationships.
The wiser course would seem to be
the acceptance of the confirmation of
our rights and interests as already
provided and to engage under the
existing treaty, assuming of course,
that this can be satisfactorily accom-
plished by such explicit reservations
and notifications as will secure our
absolute freedom from inadvisable
commitments and safeguard all our
essential interests.
Neither Congress nor the people
needs my assurance that request to
negotiate needed treaties of peace
would be as super1uous and unneces-
sary as it is technically ineffective,
and l know in my own heart there
is none who would wish to embar-
rass the executive in the pefor-
nance of his duty when we are all
so eager to turn disappointment and
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