Evening star., 1921-08-27
ALLIED DIPLOMATS
HERE DISAPPOINTED
BY GERMAN TREATY
Wanted American Signature
on Versailles Pact for
Its Moral Effect.
PICK FLAWS IN U. S. PLAN
TO SAFEGUARD RIGHTS
Predict Future Controversies Over
Indirect Method of Making
Peace With Berlin.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Peace With Berlin.
| BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
| There is no concealment here of the
! disappointment of allied diplomats in
the new peace treaty signed by the
] United States and Germany. The al
| lies had been hoping to the last that
| the United States would stand by her
| first signature on the Versailles treaty,
and thus preserve the association
| which began in 1917. The European
! governments were prepared to agree to
any reservations to the Versailles pact
! which the American government might
have proposed. They wanted Amerl-
cas- signature on the treaty of Ver-
| sailles chiefly for moral effect.
! OF course. diplomats do not discuss
American domestic politics for publi-
cation. but they are quite aware that
| the facticnal disputes in the American
Senate furnished the underlying rea-
son for the making of a separate peace
with Germany. 1t was case of pre-
| serving harmony in the republican
party or disappointing the allied gov
ernments, and the Harding administra-
tion felt that 1t was more important
| to appease the domestic situation than
| to please Europe.
Precedent Set in Europe.
| On many an occasion the European
governments themselves have set a
precedent in attaching more weight
Ito their own public opinion and do
| mestic politics than international well
fare. One of the So-called big secrets
] of the Paris peace conference was the
| inner reason for the failure of that
conference to fix the size of the Ger
man indemnity, and it was later ac-
| knowledged that because Prime Min
lister Llyod George had made an ex-
| travagant election promise. the peace
conference agreed with the argument
| Of the British prime minister. that his
| own political fortunes would suffer
| II the indemnity We're definitely fixed.
But leaving aside the considera-
| tions of domestic politics. which
| caused both President Harding and
Secretary Hughes to abandon their
first idea of "engaging under the ex-
| listing treaty" of Versailles, there are
| in allied circles many who predict
t4hat-. America has not safeSuarded
fher rights fromSa legal standpoint,
and that while the allies are disposed
at this time to interpose no objection
to the American course of action, the
chances are that, the indirect method
by which the United States has made
| peace with Germany will furnish
plenty of legal controversy in future
years.
May Question Rights.
The allies. of course. owe the United
States good deal of money and are
not likely in the immediate future to
engage in serious controversy over
legal questions. but it is admitted
that the European governments NAV
| some day question the validity of
those rights which the United States
has endeavored to acquire ,by q SEN
arate treaty with Germany,
The line Of thought Of those who con-
tend that the new treaty does not safe
guard Americas rights is that in the
preamble America formally announced
10 the world that the treaty of Yer
sailles. signed by the United States wa G
| not ratified. and is, therefore. inans
pifcable to the United States In later
sections Of the Hughes-Knox treaty
America specifically claims rights and
| privileges Of the Versailles treaty. The
question is asked how the United States
can IN one breath declare that a GER
tain contract is null and void, and in
the next breath insist that certain parts
OF the contract are valid.
No Intention to Repudiate.
In answer to this query, American Of
ficials say that the United States. while
never ratifying the Versailles treaty,
| has never notified the other governments
OF the world Of any intention to repudi-
ate mat document. even though objec-
tlon was made to certain parts of it.
such as the league covenant.
| In other words, the treaty. Of ver.
| sallles unratified is just as live a
document as the Hughes-Knox treaty..
Wnlch mas just been signed but is also
unratined. Indeed. it appears that the
Amerlcan government probably will
| fact that the Wilson signature on the
Versailles pact indicates that the
United States received certain rights
and privileges from Germany under
the the Versailles pact which cannot be
lost simply because the American
Senate failed to ratify certain obliga-
tions imposed in that treaty.
VIII Insist ON BENEFITS,
| Briefly, the American attitude 10
that. having participated in the war
| with no desire to acquire territory
| or material gain, the United States
has a perfect right to insist upon ali
the benefits and privileges which NAV
be conferred upon other powers.
| while. at the same time, refusing to
Versailles treaty or any other com
/ pact. From the allies viewpoint this
| appears to be an intensely pro-Amer.
ican, as we'll as selfish, position. bnt
American officials declare that the
| unselfshness of the United States
was demonstrated in the war. and
! that all the rights and privileges
which have been sought in the
Hughes-Knox treaty are simnIv
| those which would give America
freedom of commercial opportunity.
Copyright, 1921