The daily times., 1921-09-12
INFORMAL CONFERENCE
President Harding Has a Ten
dency to Side With Those
Who Believe an Internation-
al Agreement Hitherto
Made by Executive Branch
Ought to go to Senate.
(By David Lawrence)
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily

TimeS.)
Washington, Sept. 10.-President
Harding has abandoned any idea of
a substitute for the present league
of nations
The president makes it clear to
those who have made inquiries on
the subject that the United States
will associate with other nations in
international enterprises and the dis
cussion of ways and means of pre-
serving peace but as for a formal
body parallel to the Geneva league,
no such organization is contemplated.
This news may come as a surprise
to those who have been thinking
either in terms of a rival organization
to the Geneva league or as an asso-
citation of nations in which formal
membership would be required. But
the president has evolved the theory
that in order to be perfectly free at
all times, to approve or disapprove, to
agree or disagree with anything that
may be proposed by other nations,
the United States cannot bind itself
in any hard and fast organization.
Mr.. Harding makes point of just
how the propositions are used in
speaking of an association "of'' ma
tions or an association with ma
tions. He believes the coming con-
ference on armament is an associa-
tion with other nations and there
fore satisfies to an extent anyway his
campaign pledge. 1t will be recalled
that the whole controversy ranged
around the two little words the and
Ca.
Mr.. Harding said he would never
! join "the" league of nations. Men
| like former President Taft and other
pro-league republicans were not dis
Mr.. Harding would find that in en-
deavoring to form ''a'' league of ma
tions he would have to bring the
i United States into the existing league.
4
,congress has turned his back on the
present league. The latest develop
ment, however, is his determination
| to turn away from all sorts of per-
manent bodies with hard and fast
rules and play a role of informal
conference with other powers on vital
matters without committing America
| to any agreements unless they are
stand aloof but would associate with
other powers in endeavoring to set
] tie world problems-eachc case stand
ing on it's own bottom.
Mr.. Harding shows tendency to
side with that school of thought
which has always maintained that
protocols and international agree
ments of all sorts which have hitherto
been made by the executive branch
of the government, often committing
the United States by diplomatic
notes to a policy that might mean
war, ought to be ratified by the sem
United States could never, in Mr..
Harding's opinion, enter into any in
ternational organization without con-
stant1y having matters referred to
Washington for decision in consulta-
tion with the senate.
To those who believe that Mr..
Harding in his campaign promised
"an" association of nations similar in
general scope, though not in rules,
to the Wilson league, the answer is
made that the presidents policy as
it is being evolved gradually is in
absolute accord with the plank in
the republican national platform of
1920. The platform plank reads in
part as follows:
1.-THE republican party stands for
agreement among the nations to pre-