The New York herald., 1921-05-15
BY FRANK n. SIMONDS.


N EsPITE the extent @ which the ef-
feet of the decision to participate
in European councils has been
rounded with limiting conditions. there is no
mistaking the fact that President Harding
following the advice of the two members of
his Cabinet whose relations with foreign
policy are closest. namely. Mr. Hughes and
Mr.. Hoover, has taken d momentous step,
the consequences Of which can hardly be
limited by any contemporary forecast We
have literally gone back to Europe, even
though the extent of our intermingling in
| European affairs be limited strictly to the
economic field henceforth isolation is a
thing OF the past.
We thus see a victory for that position
which Mr.. Hughes and Mr.. Hoover took at
the outset of the new Administration. the
position which Mr.. Harding indicated in his
April message TO Congress- This position is
something quite different from the Wilson
ian gospel, which took us to Europe to make
the world safe for democracy. What Mr..
Hughes and Mr.. Hoover would have us as
sist in doing is in the task of making the
business in particular
But accepting this wholly limited concep-
ton, the essential fact remains that hence
forth the United States accepts the role and
the responsibility of a world power in asso-
citation with other world powers. The situa-
ton in which the new President found
the foreign relations of this country
was patiently impossible. We had signed a
treaty at Versailles, the treaty had been re-
ta1 1at1 s,Jxx.@t
had withdrawn from all participation in
international discussions. But the discus
sions had gone on, decisions had been
reached, real estate disposed of and Ameri-
can rights and interests totally ignored.
First Business of State Department
Was to Restore Our Rights
1t was inevitable, then, that President
Harding and his Secretary of State should
undertake. as their first foreign business,
he restoration Of American rights. which
had been invaded during that time when we
stood aside from all world affairs. that is,
for the last year Of President Wilson's term.
Hence We had the succession of notes which
covered the questions OF Yap, Mesepotamian
oal and mandates generally.
Meantime there arose the great German
crisis the approach of that date which
Germany would inevitably be In default so
Versailles were concerned. ON May l not
only would Germany have failed TO meet the
required payments but she would also have
failed to comply with pledges the most i'm
portant of which her agreement to dis
arm. This failure, moreover, was certain to
be accompanied by military action by
France.
From an American standpoint such mill
tary action was bound to. be expensive. The
United States was already suffering acutely
from business depression, due in part, at
least to the collapse of the European mar
kets. a consequence of political conditions
and a consequence of the continued absence
of a settlement of the reparations question.
but a new military operation, the occupa-
ton OF the Ruhr, was bound to unsettle the
German market still more, to postpone rather
than hasten economic, restoration.
In this situation and with an obvious
American interest at stake Germany APP
pcaled to us to become the umpire the
mediator I'm reality 10 become her savior
and her champion. Thus in certain sense,
without any action on the part of the new
Administration the United States was again
entangIed i'm European affairs. For to re-
fuse any response to Germany was to en-
courage French action. while TO make any
answer suggesting championship OF Germany
was to put us i'm conflict with our old asso-
ciates. In word, not even silence would
rescue rs from ENHANCEMENT.
As a consequence Mr. Hughes undertook
10 do two thngs-to preserve American
solidarity with our former Allies and thus
avoid championship of Germany, and, at
the same time to endeavor TO persuade
Germany to make some proposal on her own
part which might serve az the basis OF a
new discussion and thus avoid that thing
the United states for its own material in
terests was most anxious to avoid. namely,
4 new military operation in the midst OF q
Europe already prostrated by economic dis
tuFbanccs.
Failure Due TO German Stupidity:
Our Position Made Clear
In this purpose Mr.. Hughes failed, but only
because German policy was too blind or
German statesmen too weak TO face the
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