The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-06-17
NO HASTE IN
FOREIGN POLICY
President VIII Not Take Up
Question With
League .
HARVEY BEFORE
SUPREME COUNCIL
VIII Present Americas Claims - Peace
Resolution First, Amendment of Yer
sailIes Treaty and Then an AssOcia-
ton of Nations Harding's Plan.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Dispatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON.sJ June 1.-THE United
States government has no intention of
sending q representative even unothcialIy
to discuss with the council of the league
of nations the matter of mandates. This
may be unpleasant news to those who
have had lingering hope that the man
date question would serve as bridge over
which the Harding administration could
conveniently reach the council of the
league without embarrassment, but it is
nevertheless the truth.
The invitation sent by the council of
the league to Secretary Colby to send
representative to discuss mandates was
purposely left unanswered so that the
Harding administration might be free to
do rs it pleased with the request.
Paris dispatches in the last few days
have sought informally to remind the
| American government that the invitation
| is still unanswered. In the same informal
way the word goes out that the Harding
administration does not anticipate the ne
cessity of sending any representative Off
cially or unOficially to the next meeting
| of the council.
| So far as mandates are concerned, the
+ United States has a means of communi-
cation with all the powers through the
supreme council. which is attended by
| Ambassador George Harvey as the per
SOnal representative of the President of
! the United States. Although the Ameri-
can ambassador has made one or two
errors of speech which he himself attrib-
uteS 10 ineXperience as Il diplomat and
oil IInubuS and IBrpSf don't
Harding have both felt it necessary TO
define Americas purposes in entering the
war as unSeliish instead of selfish. the
fact is Mr.. Harvey IS still in good favor
and charged with the responsibility of
negotiating all the delicate questions
which America may want discussed with
the great powers. Those who have had
chance to read the Harvey cablegrams
from abroad say they are characterlStically
direct and to the point and that he Is fol-
( lowing carefully the instructions Of the
: department of state. Indeed. the notes of
h instruction sent by Secretary Hughes to
!, American diplomats abroad are them
|, selves 50 precise and definite that there is
no room for misunderstanding.
H Ambassador Harvey had made the
! statement that the United States would
not have anything to do with the league
or any of its committees directly or indi-
rectly. This was doubted at the time but
it turns out that he had an accurate idea
Of the Harding administration policy.
Even the Root plan for an international
court of Justice which is the offspring Of
a committee of the league of nations il not
! to be accepted unless it is completely sep
arated from the machinery of the league.
The determination to steer clear of the
league Of nations and deal only with the
supreme council is growing stronger in
administration quarters especially be
cause the President is becoming convinced
that there is no real task which cannot
be as directly handled in the supreme
council as in the parallel organization of
the league of nations. namely, the council.
After the next few meetings of the SUI
premc council il would not be surprising
to find President Harding openly COM
mending that body as an effective medium
for international intercourse and urging
its use as a nucleus for greater aSSGcia-
tiOn of nations which shall differ from
the present league of nations in that it
shall have nothing to do with the en-
fOrcement of the treaty of Versailles or
any other treaty.
Already Mr.. Harding is using the SUI
preme council to get at the attitude of the
' lpowerS on the disarmament question and
: just as soon as the Versailles treaty can
: be redrafted so as to eliminate certain
clauses in which the United States is not
: interested the move for an association of
I: nations will be begun. One thing has de-
vel0ped clearly in the last few months.
|: i Is that the Harding administration does
not intend to rush precipitately into treaty
making or anything else, but will take
: one step at a time. The passage of the
+: knoXPorter resolution declaring the
{; state of war at an end is the first stage
/: of the journey. Next comes the revision
/: or modification of the Versailles treaty so
I: that the American senate can ratify it
and thus peace with Germany made and