Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-03
PLAN Of HARDING
REEVES LEAGUE
Of NATIONS ISSUE
Hughes, Taft and Root Be-
Iieved to Favor Resubmis-
sion of Pact to Senate
Opinion Of Europeans

WASHINGTON. Dec. 1.-The
League of Nations issue has been
brought back to life in the senate
and the country at large by Presj
dent Harding's announcement that
he hopes the arms conference will
develop into an association of ma,
lions.
President Harding will be urged to
submit the league covenant to the
senate with Americanizing reserva,
tions. Influential league advocates
are preparing to organize anew the
public sentiment in the country for
the league, in an effort to prove to
Harding that he will have strong
support from the people if he resub
mits the Versailles league to the
senate.
The suggestion of such a posi-
bility rouses violent opposition
among senators. But even in the
senate there are still many who be.
lieve entrance into the League Of
Nations the best thing for the United
States.
President Harding may find him.
self urged to this course by three
Of his most influential Republican
friends-Hughes, Root and Taft. All
three are pro-League of Nations men,
Their attitude during the recent
presidential campaign was so pro.
nounced that Harding's opponents
sought to use it to embarrass him.
Mr.. Root is reputed author Of the
associations of nations idea which
President Harding put forward.
The nebulous state of the "asso
citation" plan, which Mr.. Harding
himself says he has not developed in
detail, gives him good opportunity,
league advocates hold, to enter the
existing league under proper safe
guards.
Advantages of this course. league
advocates say, include:
European and South American
nations already in the league would
not abandon the league to join a new
association, but they would agree to
almost any conditions specified by
the United States for it's entrance
into the existing league.
2-The existing league is well I'm
derstood by the American people.
and in an AmericaniZeG form, would
be acceptable to them.
3-The existing league has def.
mite limits to it's authority, whereas
the outline given by President Har
ding Of his association seems to con
template practically no limits to the
scope OF the organization, and no
check upon it's powers.
IMPOSSIBLE TO SCRAP
LEAGUE, SAY DIPLOMATS
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER
Especial Dispatch to The Journal and the Chi
cago Daily News-Copyright, 1921
WASHINGTON. Dec. 2.-The re-
action of the visiting European dele
cations to President Harding's sug.
gestion for an association of nations
IS simple and clear. They will listen
alphabetically to any definite prop.
ositions the American government
may desire to make, although before
devoting much time to it, they will
want to be treasured that it will
have the support of the American
senate. But if it's purpose should, on
examination, prove to be merely a
duplication of what the present
League of Nations has already been
formed to do, they will not be great.
ly interested. They have no desire
to attend an annual conference OF
81 nations at Geneva, and then trav.
Ell to Washington to attend another
annual conference of the same or
other nations-not unless there is
some definite and very good reason,
as happens to be the case with re.
spect to the present conference.
All the Europeans with whom the
writer has discussed the matter
agree that, with the best will in
the world, they cannot simply pro
coed to scrap the existing league.
The process is too difficult.
Suppose" one visiting delegate
said, "that you, as foreign minister
of your country, should go before
your parliament and ask it to re
scind the ratification of the cove
nant. Some one would ask you why
The league has done none of its
members harm; it has done nearly
all of them some good. To Ssk the
repeal of a thing which has done nc
harm and some good is difficult.
Then some one would ask what
you propose to put in place of the
league. If you could convince PEG
pie that by some master stroke they
could get out of the present league
and into some vastly better one
they might accept. But first, they
would have to be convinced. The
more we study the situation, the
clearer it becomes that with worlG
conditions as they are, there are no
a dozen different ways of arriving
at real international cooperation
11J1& c1i oil
incidental Emergencies.
The proceedings which would have
to be followed in 81 countries in or
der to scrap the present league may
be listed somewhat as follows:
1. Repeal of the covenant.
2. Repeal of the permanent cour
of international justice whose exam
ination has now been signed by a
nations and ratified by 35.
8. Repeal of statutes enacted fol
lowing the adoption of nine interna
| tional labor conventions, one tran
sit convention and one white slav,
| traffic convention.
4. Assemblage of a new peace con
| ference to decide to what bodies o.
| organizations should be assigned
! those aspects of the Paris peac
| the league-aspects such as tn
Saar Valley and Dantzig administra
tons, mandates, protection of m
norities, and possible small dispute
arising from river administrator
and property transfers.
5. Repeal of certain treaty pre-
visions in connection with the ur
per Silesian and Aaland Island
awards.
6. Return Of liens against Austri;
which have been relinquished to tn
league for purposes of Austrian re
Mobilization.
Z. Return of the opium traffi
control to France.
8. Return of the white slave tra1
fic control to France.
9. Liquidation of millions Of dol
lars worth of league property il
Geneva.
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