Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-01-06
Harding May Fail
to Line Up Senate
Continued from Pase Ono

Continued from Pare Ono
ecutive as the head of the party. The
Knox statement meant that the Senate
challenged this assumption and that at
least on this question of foreign re-
lations the Senate had as much claim
to party leadership as the President.
The Knox statement violated all the
conditions Of Mr.. Harding's conferences
here. Throughout the campaign Mr..
Harding had said that the question of
the League of Nations was not for any
one man or any three or four men to
settle. There would be general consul
tation. He scrupulously refrained from
trying to influence conclusions to be
reached by giving out his own views.
He would not impose his ideas upon hia
party or the country.
All his visitors except Mr.. Knox OBJ.
served the rules of the game. No one
came here with plan all drawn up
and said this alone will be acceptab ,
Mr.. Knox had his plan all on paper
and gave it out with the authority of
the Republicans Of the Senate behind
it.
But even acquiescencc in Mr.. Knox S
policy does not relieve Mr. Hard'p>
his difficulties. The Knox plan is for
the passage of the Knox resolution. in
Guiding an amendment declaring this
country's concern with the interests Of
civilization throughout the world; sec
ond, the creation of a court of intc,,,
fcation Of international law. The sec
ond and third parts of the program, Mr..
Knox said, could wait.
The passage of the Knox resolution
is simple. 1t will require only ma =
iority vote in both houses of Congress
and the Republicans have a big ma
iority in both branches. It's passage
will be the first step in any program.
whether it is to be followed, as Mr..
Knox suggests, only by the passage Of
arbitration treaties and the creation of
| n world court. or whether it is to be
followed by the modification of the
present League of Nations or the deyel-
opment Of new conference OF nations
replacing the present league.
But by abandoning an attempt to re-
organize the league: or to organize a
! new one, Mr.. Harding does not escape
difficuities. The creation of world
court and the passage Of arbitration
treaties giving it authority over justici
able questions and providing for com
missions to investigate and report upon
international disputes that are political
| in their nature will require two thirds
vote in the Senate.
The archives Of the State Department
are full Of arbitration treaties that have
! been negotiated and never ratified by
| the Senate. John Hay failed to per-
| suade the Senate to accept such trea :
| ties. So did 'ex President Taft. So did
Secretary of State William J. Bryan
Much Difference Of Opinion
Much room for difference of opinion
will exist regarding the jurisdiction Of
the proposed world court, the power ant
constitution Of investigating commits
sions, the terms of the arbitration trea
ties. And treaties substantially uniform
in character. binding together all thu
nations of the earth to arbitrate dis
putes or refer them to investigation
constitute q huge task.
There are excellent prospects Of this
part of the Knox plan failing utterly
The Democrats in the Senate may re-
ject it as involving infinitely more diff
culties than would modification o
the League of Nations. 1t may thu!
fail two thirds vote because the op
position may wish to preserve the issu
of the League Of Nations, when th'
Republicans present not quick ant
practicable solution of the internationa
question, but a slow and dubious one
And again the European powers ma!
prefer to stick to the existing lcagu
rather than to abandon it and under
take the uncertainty Of organizing tn
world afresh with an endless network
of arbitration treaties, especially of tn
doubt that must always exist over tn
action of the United States Senate.