The daily times., 1921-07-05
EXACT POLICY OF
ADMINISTRATION
IS UNDETERMINED
PEACE PLANS UNCERTAIN.
There are Rumors That The
President Will Resubmit the
Versailles Treaty with Reser-
vations Excluding the League
of Nations Covenant and
Other Clauses.
PEACE PLANS UNCERTAIN.
BY David Lawrence
Copyright 1921 by Times }

Washington, July 2.-American
foreign policy under Harding ad-
ministration is still an undetermined
fact. President Harding himself does
not know exactly how peace with
Germany will be re-established after
the Knox-Porter resolution declaring
a state of peace is on the statute
books repeating all legislation passed
during the war.
Neither does Mr.. Hughes know
of the administration officially admit
that they do not yet know which
path they will choose in seeking to
extricate the United States from the
anomalous position in which our for
eign policy has been ever since Pres
ident Wilson declined to accept the
reservations of the Republican Sem
ate to the Versailles treaty.
For several days there have been
whispers that Mr.. Harding would re-
submit the Versailles treaty with ex-
plicit reservations excluding the
league of nations covenant and all
other clauses that might involve the
United States in any obligation to
enforce the treaty. The wrath of
the "irreconcilable" group in Con-
gress which is just as much opposed
to the treaty as to the league slowly
gathered. The whispers have grown
softer. No longer is it repeated that
the President has determined upon a
course of action. The only thing
that is said is that Mr., Harding's
words in his last message to Congress
have not been withdrawn. He de-
clared it would be wiser for the Unit
ed States ito engage under the ex-
listing treaty rather than to nego-
tiate a new treaty.
Secretary Hughes has been carving
painstaking job. He has done il
quietly and without publicity. He
hasn't finished. The big question OF
whether it is practicable to handle
IhO 1I1dIICA ny Tie fSl
sailles treaty with reservations has
not yet been answered and there is
a lingering hope among the irrecon
i cilab1es than Mr.. Harding will not
find it wiser" to engage under the
existing treaty but will make a new
treaty after all. Mr.. Harding has in
sisted that the next step was the ne
gOtiation of a treaty of amity anG
commerce with Germany. The Am
| erican government could include a:
many portions Of the Versailles treaty
as desired and yet not have the docu
ment labelled Versailles treaty" but
then the question arises as to wheth
er the United States is entitled tC
| the rights of victorious possession
which the allies claim were given the
United States along with the allie:
only upon condition that the Yer
sailles treaty be ratified. In othel
words the rights are no longer Ger
many's but have been handed to thu
allies and the contract in which Ger
hduy gave IAOSS away 10 Ih'
Versailles treaty.
Mr.. Hughes ability as jurist CONES
in handy and he has already solved
many knotty question of law in th'
Department Of State. His logica
mind made a simple case out OF thu
mandate controversy and reduced th'
Mexican question to plain statemen
of law.
But July first is here and the for
eign policy of the administration a
it enters in the second half of th'
lyear has not been defined largely be
cause of a year of conflicting ele
ments in the Senate on the one hant
and an effort on the one hand to stee
clear of the Wilson policies. To dat
therefore the Harding administration
has found it necessary to use the Su
preme Council as means of com