The Washington herald., 1921-03-16
Senator Knox Will En-
deavor to Make Separate
Pact With Germany.
u. s.. PACT STAND
is NOW REVERSED
ENJOYS of Europe Ex-
pected to Entreat Amer
lea to Enter League.
~ MARK SULLIVAN.

The Senate is adjourned. and what
is said here aims to be q summing
up of our situation as regards peace
with Germany. the league Of ma
tions. and our foreign affairs gener-
ally, at a time when one chapter has
closed and another cannot be opened
until the Senate meets again In
April.
To the procession of reporters who
have entered his office during the
past week. Senator Knox has said
that he has not changed his posi-
tion about his resolution for a sep
arate peace with Germany, and that
he still intends to introduce 1t In
substantially the same form In
which he read II to Mr.. Harding at
Marion. on the list Of January. and
gave 1t to the public on the same
day. But while Senator Knox's re-
iteration has been consistent. IL
has been apparent that there has
been on his part an increasing dis
position to end the interview with
a deprecatory gesture meant to inn
ply that. "of course. / only speak for
myself"
sKnox Continues Efforts.
II Senator Knox still expects to
bring about a separate peace with
Germany in the near future, he most
certainly does speak for himself
alone. It Is true that one of the
subtle aspects of Senator Knox's
move lies in the fact that il is cast
not in the form of a treaty but in
the form of a resolution. 1t can,
therefore. be passed by a simple ma
jority of the Senate and without Q
two-thirds vote Also 1t is conceiv-
able that IL a sharp issue should
arise between the Senate and the
President, Senator Knox might COM
mand the following of enough Sena-
tors to put his resolution through.
But the truth is, no such rift on
foreign policy u likely to arise be-
tween Senator Harding and the Sem
ate, and the project Tor a separate
peace with Germany Is not likely
to take on any vitality, certainly
not for a considerable time and not
until several other things have hap
pened and some other things have
been attempted. For this likeli-
hood. while there are several rea-
sons, no better reason need be given
than. in the words of a friend OF
the administration, the present
psychology is. not favorable to it."
So long as the amount Of the Ger
man separations and the other
issues between Germany and the
Allies remain undecided, a move
ment towards separate peace with
Germany on our part would have
effects SO obviously unfavorable TO
the Allies and to the situation OF the
world that il will be avoided by
general assent on the part of both
the Senate and the administration.
Esveys May Come Here.
For the same reason the public
can take 1t for granted that there
is nothing in the report. recently
emphasized both abroad and at
home, that a special commission.
representing the new . administra-
tion, Is about TO go to Europe un-
der the leadership Of Elihu Root.
What is now much more likely to
What is now much more likely to
happen is the reverse. In the course
of time We are likely to receive in
Washington several individuals and
delegations representing European,
nations, and possibly representing
the league of nations as a league.
1t may readily happen during the
course of the coming months that
Washington will be the scene of
conferences which in their import
ance will be only less spectacular
than the peace conference itself.
Secrecy Is Condemned.
II the foreign diplomats in WASH
ington are as quick to grasp the at
mosphere of Washington as the
newspaper men are, they must have
observed that in the building of the
new bridge between ourselves and
our late allies II is better that
Washington should be the location
OF the conversations and negotia-
tions than that they should take
place in the scene where previous
negotiations came to such an un-
happy end. The public that needs
to be converted to any new associa-
tion of nations. and needs to be re-
assured by watchful understanding
of the negotiations leading to such
an association. is the American pub
lie. The best way to allay the un-
fortunate suspicious that arose in
America over the secrecy and other
aspects Of the peace conference is
to hold the new negotiations in the
plain view of the American people,
and accompanied by the aerating
processes of the American news
papers, processes which differ great
ly from what happened in Paris.
Moreover. the situation is now re-
versed from what II was in Paris.
IL takes temerity to name one thing
and say that one was the funda-
mental mistake that Wilson made at
Paris. One of Mr.. Wilson's associ-
ates on the American delegation be-
tieves Wilson's fundamental mistake
was his falling for" the European
practice of secrecy. Even more i'm
portant than that. however, was the
fact that Wilson, out of his eager
ness. and out Of his lack of skill as
a trader. allowed the @others to
manoeuvre him into "a position
where he was begging EUROPE to
Join his league, and in order to in
duce them made such unapprovable
concessions as. Shantung. In truth.
it should have been and now will
be Europe inviting America to join
them, and giving the American peo-
pie 3ustihable reasons for doing so.
Every consideration points toward
Washington as the proper place for
the next step looking to disarma-
n,ent, permanent peace, and all the
other purposes for which the nations