The daily times., 1921-11-28
MIR. Harding Thinks the
Leagues Mission is the En-
forcement of the Treaty of
Versailles, But He Believes
That All Nations Should En-
ter Into a New Conference.
(By David Lawrence.)
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily


Times)
Washington, Nov. 26.-president
Harding has taken Informally the
first step toward the perpe.uation CT
the idea of international conference
las developed by the present meeting
for the limitation of armaments
Mr.. Harding is sounding the pow
ers as to his plan. 1t is not league
of nations nor All association of ma
tions in the sense that the Versailles
treaty created an international body.
No such formal or rigid institution
nor such rules and regulations or
obligations as the covenant of the
league provided are in Mr.. Harding's
sequel to the first and second Hague
conference of 1899 and 1907 which
may benefit by the experience of
those two international gatherings
and bring about general get togeth-
er meeting of nations at frequent in
tervals.
The President has about him men
! ike Elihu Root who are familiar with
| the Hague Conference work and it's
defects and who can advise him how
to avoid the pitfalls of those meet
fings. One trouble was that the ini-
tiative in calling Hague conferences
was left to an individual. The En-
peror Of Russia called the meeting in
1899 and it was President Roosevelt
who was about to bring the End. con-
ference into session when the En-
lperor of Russia again took the ini-
tiative in 1907. The understanding
then was that the conferences would
be held every seven years and a third
conference was about to be summon
ed when the European war clouds of
1914 gathered and prevented a meet
ling.
| Mr.. Harding's first improvement
upon the original Hague plan is the
Isetting up of a machinery for the
lcalling of the conference. Here at
Washington that point will be dis
|cussed and it is indeed the only
thing that need be laid before the
powers for Mr.. Harding's idea is that
the conference shall make it's own
rules when it meets, shall frame its
own program and take action as in
dividual sovereign nations and not as
a super government.
The President feels that the Prin-
cipal Allied and Associated Powers
constitute nucleus. Instead of leav-
ing the cali of the conference to one
executive or one government, stand
ing committee might be appointed
, consisting of representatives of sew
eral countries to whom a petition fol
an international conference could be
made. For the moment the Presiden
feels that a meeting every year would
!. be a good idea but some provision
would have to be made, of course
!. for the calling of conference wffe1
;. emergencies developed and it is TO
that reason standing committee ha
been urged by some of the counsel
Slors who have laid the matter befor
Mr.. Harding.
1t is more than coincidence per
haps that the First Hague Conferenc
was called for the very purpose
limiting armaments but Germany wa
unwilling to agree to reduction
Limitation The first Hague confer
ence of 1899-was more or less ex
detrimental only 26 governments be
ling represented. The second confer
1ence in 1907 found A states repre-
lsented, and definite rules Of interna
tional law were drawn up which un
s fortunately were disregarded b
e. many of these powers when the wa
le lof 1914 broke out.
IF Far from attempting to create
d. rival of the League of Nations, Nj
n Harding's idea is that the latter bod