The St. Joseph observer., 1921-05-07

eleCtlOnt the ItdrdlnB administration
continues to follow in the footsteps
of the Wilson administration.
Every days dispatches tell the story
of how clearly the state department
recognizes the inescapable fact that
the United States is sull involved"
and "entangled" in the affairs of
Europe"
And Secretary Hughes is writing
notes" DO you remember how i'm
patient and scornful our republican
friends used TO be when Woodrow
Wilson. too. was writing notes? when
he was trying to accomplish by that
means precisely what Secretary
Hughes is trying to do now--bring
peace and restore stability TO a trou-
bled world?
The Harding administration is not
to be condemned for doing what il
can, having rejected the league of ma
tions, to bring peace in some other
way. 1t is to be commended for it.
The stern logic of events has already
taught President Harding and his ad-
visers that there Is no such thing as
a splendid isolation" for America.
and that we are as much concerned,
though In different way. in the con-
sequences Of the war as we were in
the war itself.
They told us, in the campaign that
we were going to cut loose from Eur
ope. We we're going to leave Europe
| to settle its own affairs in its own
way. As soon as we should have a
| republican president and a republican
| congress working in harmony our
! governm ent would proceed to forget
| Europe and devote itself to domestic
J affairs. so as to get us back TO nor
maIcy." And they found, as soon as
the power and the responsibility be-
| came theirs, that they were all mis-
taken about it. Congress is tinkeTing
with tariff bill. it is speculating and
shuddering about taxation, it is think
ing of investigating the railroad crisis
and doing nothing with any of these
questions except to report progress
and ask leave to sit again.
But with Europe. with Europe's af-
fairs-our own affairs because they
are Europe's-the administration is
exceedingly busy.
The Truth Is Sinking In
The truth that Woodrow Wilson
and the despised democrats preached
is sinking in. There must be peace
and stability in Europe before there
can be restored and assured prosper
ity in the United States. Because
Europe is in a tansle that has par
alyzed its enterprise and all but de-
stroyed its buying power our own in
dustry suffers and our own people aIs
in distress. Farmers, merchants
manufacturers. workingmen, all class
es of the American people, are paying
their full share OF the heavy price
that has had TO be paid for the defea
of the peace treaty and for the devit
alizing blows that have been aimed
at the league of nations.
And so, though we are still tech
nically and legally at war with Ger
many, our government is essaying tn,
, delicate and difficult role of assisting 6
as an interested party, to bring tn
I governments together on reparatiol
, terms that Germany can find it pos
, sible 10 meet and that the allies cal
afford to accept. Our governmen
"lnterfered" in the settlement to tn
extent of making it plain that 1t be
lieved that the reparation settlemen
= demanded by the allies was excessive
I and OF inviting the proposal OF neN
terms by Germany. which terms.
, they seemed at all reasonable. it woul
i endeavor to find a way of submittin
e to the attention of the allies. An
, Germany. encouraged by this attitud
of the government OF the Unite
States, has submitted a new propose
1t is one that appears on its face
= be worthy of consideration. and tn
spirit in which it IL presented seem
: more reasonable than any OF Gel
I manys previous utterances on tn
same question.
e A Highly Distressing Condition
q Dispatches indicate. however, thi
1. the French government is not at a
favorably impressed and will haV
nothing to do with the latest Germa