The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-03-27
nar mako for closer Understanding VIA

may make for closer understanding with
other nations.
The four-power treaty vote is a big
precedent Democrats and Republicans
who voted for it cannot consistently
change their position when Mr. Hard
ing, for example, proposes that the
United States become a member OF the
reparatiOn commission to safeguard
American rights i'll Europe The vote IN
favor of American cooperation IN queS-
lions arising 1000 miles away from one
coastIine is considered ample justiiica-
ton for a similar vote in favor Of CO.
operation in maintaining American
rights 5000 miles from the other coast
line. 81 US .
See an Evolution.
Friends of the league of nations
plainly are happy over the result. They
see the Harding administration going
through a process of evolution on for
eign policy which will lead to bigger
and BROADER international action. While
it is true. for instance, that the United
States found fault with the program of
the Genoa economic and financial con-
ference declaring that some of the items
i'm it were political instead of economic
the fact is the American government did
not want to go 10 Genoa until it had
demonstrated To the world that the
treaties negotiated at the Washington
arms conference could be ratified.
Another exhibition of senate resIS-
fence to a treaty signed by an American
chief executive was feared and admins
tration officials used almost the same
language in referring to such possible
consequence as did Woodrow " wilson
after he came back from Paris. There
are Republicans and Democrats who
somehow feel that America has vindi-
Gated herself before the world in stand
ing by a contract made by the constitu-
tiCnal executive. To that extent they
admit that the senate performance after
the Versailles treaty while technically
constitutional and perhaps thoroughly
understood in America was morally en-
barrassing to American influence and Is
still the subject of ill-feeling in Europe
where the alliance made on April 4,
1917. between the Jsnited States and
the allied powers was welcomed as de
parture from American traditional pol
icy Of no alliances with Europe.
Both Parties Happy.
Although the senate has adopted a
reservation proposed by Senator Brande-
gee stating that the four-pOwer pact Is
not an alliance and does not commit
the United States to armed force, there
are few who believe the league of ma
tionS was n commitment to armed ac-
ton. They think it was just as flexible
and gave as much freedom of action as
the four-powcr pact.
Indeed Democratic support of the
four-power treaty was based largely on
the argument that the four-pOwer treaty
was not inconsistent with the league Of
nations covenant and that article , of
the Pacific treaty is hardly different in
essential particulars from article 10 of
the covenant
So the Republicans are happy that
they have put through the first big
treaty of worldwide import and the
Democrats are secretly joyful that the
Republicans have become committed to
international cooperation as definitely
a. the phraseol0gy of the fOur-power
treaty indicates.
To the impartial observer. the record
of the United States senate on the four
| power treaty is hardly different from
| the votes on the Versailles treaty. In
the case of the latter pact there always
! was n two-thirds vote ready to ratlfy
! the Versailles treaty with reservations.
! Republicans blame the Wilson leader
/ ship which was uncompromismgly
! against the Lodge reservations on the
ground that they nullified the pact.
President Harding has felt that the
Brandegee reservation was unnecessary
but he submitted to the Judgment of the
/ party leaders who insisted that without
/ the reservation the fOur-pOwer pact was
/ lost 1t is a matter of history that
/ practically the Democratic leaders urged
4 Mr.. Wilson to take the Lodge reScrva-
! tions and secure American membership
! in the league of nations. Mr.. Wilson
I believed the election of 1920 would de-
/ eide the issue in his favor, but, unfor-
! tunately. the contest was encountered
/ by many other domestic questions and
! political experts still differ as to whether
| the vote was defnitive of anything but
a desire for q change in administration.
The Harding administration stands
/ today encouraged by the action of the
/ senate. More international co-opera-
tion is inevitable and. Judging by signi-
| ficant statements made here and there
/ in official quarters. the United States
government will from now on assert it