The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-01-29

which were tmposeoru Mn.
It does not seem exagEerstton TO
say that no new International path
ways have been found IT Washing
ton. Although the. American con-
ference 10 not yet. concluded, 1t does
while many things have been con-
sidered few have been settled, and
that the question which bulked
set, namely thesproblem OF the lin.
itation Of armament, has been dis
posed of only In one relatively in
significant detail. We have sought
to insure peace In the Pacihe by
exchanging guarantees Of mutual
good behavior; but already the
treaty which was to ASSURE this
peace, and which at the. moment Il
was presented seemed simple In the
extreme and devoid Of all commit
ments, has been discovered 50 falii-
BILE that two amendments are al
ready assured and Ratification by
the. United States Senate can come,
II at all, only after long debate.
Accepting the fact, generaily con-
coded, that we are now to have a
long, wearisome and. bitterly con-
tested quarrel In the, Senate over the
treaties of Washington, and that
there is no absolute certainty that
they will be ratified ultimately, 1t is
clear that there will remain no
temptation for European countries,
South American countries, or even
for. Asiatic countries TO abandon the
league Of nations and accept Amer
lean leadership IN an American
made association concerning which
AmeEiesB public opinion Is certain
TO disclose 1tssif 50 DIVIDED 80
:ss9eSsF Wsy,( o5nsksl5 iss;,< : ::
. YbeEe.saaC been anS tbese IepasjAS
a Very sreatsreadiness 6nr ting ppvr
of. ta,e Esrspsan- Instionss- nsasas
OF the league Of nations to meet
the United States more than half
way In the modification Of such de-
tails Of the league as have aroused
American protest and disapproba-
tion. Doubtless thfs readiness will
endure, and yet Il Is true that as the
Washington conference developed
Europeans less and less recognition
nation.
Indeed. It is an accurate state
ment, / believe, that as the wash
ington conference progressed, Eu-
ropean preferences for the league Of
nations over any American substI-
tuts grew apace. do not suggest
that there was any large change of
opinion as to the willingness or re-
luctance Of the United States to en-
ter the league Of nations; what was
apparent was the drift toward the
conviction that there was not mucn
use In striving to persuade the
American people to enter the league
either by argument or by promise
Of change In the machinery of the
league.
The actual situation would seem
to be that the delegates of the Eu-
ropean countries which were repre-
scented here in Washington in the
present conference came here curl
Gus to measure and estimate Amer
lean sentiment, and frankly eager
to anaiyze American interest and
feeling toward the league. Now
they are going home satisfied that
after all the best possible course
is to go on with the league and
leave the United States to make up
80 III anu db
pleases. America will always be
welcome at Geneva. but there is
some reason for believing that the
efforts to persuade America to Join
will be fewer rather than more
numerous as a consequence of the
Washington conference.
Scepticai Of wiison.
One thing has struck me about
the attitude of the Europeansl
toward the league of nations. I
was in Paris at the conference, and
through all the time when the
league of nations was being created.
1t was plain to all observers at that
time that Europe was accepting the
American-or, IL one prefers, the
Wilson idea with infinite scepticism
and little enthusiasm. The league
at the moment represented to the
European mind a concession to
America rather than an association
Of practical value. No one, or next
to no one, believed that II would
work, but since 1t was what Presi-
dent Wilson wanted, and he spoke
for America, everybody thought
himself obligated to accept IT.
Now after three years experience
with the league, and after listen
ing to the European statesmen who
have come here to the conferences
am impressed by the fact that
there Is a considerable change in
view point. No European believes
that the league of nations will ever
turn out to be the psnacea 1t was
promised to be by President Will
son and by his enthusiastic ad-
who on the whole support 1t most
strongly speak of 1t more as q
kind of machinery than as a gospel
Of peace. But, and this seems to me
Of special signihcance. those who
sneered ct 1t In Paris not infre-
quentiy spoke with respect for IL In
Warrington. although, It has been
rejected by the American people
and denounced by those who now
control our administration.
Now Sincere On Ptaiss.
In the days of the Paris confer
ence, when the American CO..
respondents. were busy teporttnS
the vast volume of praise on tbs
league derived from Euroussn
sources It required but little ex.
animation to show that these pane.
gyrics were chiefly coming from
those who were trying to buy
American support At the slight COST
Of polite but insincere praise Tor
an American project But those
Europeans who praised. the. league
OF nations In washfngton durins'
the present conference were the
same persons who spoke against IL
In Paris three years ago, More
over since the American officialt