The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-12-28
POLICY I. 5.
Up 70 HARDING,
SAY LEADERS
Continued fro.n First PAGE,

Continued from First Pase)
tween two schools Of thought in
the Republican party. The out
break was Inevitable. II has been
coming on for three years and is
just now reaching its climax.
The fight isn't between those
/ who believe in International COOP
Grafton and those who favor a pol
icy Of isolation for America. That
!; lineup has been more or less brok-
en- up in the present fight over Mr.
Borah's resolution requesting the
president to call an economic con-
ference. The Idaho senator has
been looked upon as the foremost
advocate of an isolationist policy
while Mr.. Lodge and most of the
Republicans have really favored
! some kind of international cooper
! alton right along.
An American Question,
Proof that it is not a controversy
between isolation and information
alism is afforded in Mr.. Borah's
!, speech in the senate on Wednesday
when he said: Il look upon the
question Of dealing with their eco
nomic problems as distinctly at this
time an American question, not ex-
| clusively so, but inclusively so. II
has reached the point where we are
as deeply concerned and ultimately
! to be quite as much affected by the
situation as any European power.
| 1t can no longer be said that in
dealing with these matters we are
dealing exclusively with European
/ questions. 1t is quite as much, and
in some respects quite as seriously.
an American question as the qaes-
ton of war was in the spring Of
| 1917. II We are to believe the re-
ports which come to us from every
i quarter not only in Europe, but u
the United States, the economic
/ problems have now reached the
point where they are of practical
conclusion to the people of the
United States. 1t is now an Amer
lean problem. We are suffering
and suffering greatly" l-.
| The foregoing speech is notable
because it marks an evolution in
the American senate. President
Wilson and his followers made that
very argument when they urged
| ratification of the Versailles treaty
they claimed that proper settle
ment of the economic problem of
the world made it incumbent upon
America to play an important part
in world affairs.
/ Senator Hiram johnson of Cali
fornia. says that what Mr. Borah
| is advocating today is exactly the
line of argument taken by Mr.. Will
son. So do others who see in
Mr.. Borah's speech a change Of
front. But after all. even Mr.. Borah
himself admits that the whole prob
lem is not whether an economic
conference should be called to con-
slider armament and PREPARATIONS
but the method of treating TIT
question itself.
Evolution of Viewpoints.
There has been a shakeup, al
! evolution, a Encouragement o.
viewpoints on the part of various
members Of the senate, but the rea
; root of the matter is not the merit,
of the question of cooperation witt
Europe at all. It's whether the
president or congress should con
duct Americas foreign relations.
| Stimulated by the active pa.
taken by the senate in voicing its
opinions by resolution, round robin
and numerous speeches at the very
time when an American president
was negotiating a treaty, Mr.. Borah
sees no harm in offering resolu.
ton now advising another Ameri-
can president what to do and how
to do it. But Mr.. Lodge. as a Re-
publican leader and spokesman of
President Harding, objects. And
with him are lined up the support
ers Of MIR. Harding who. however.
as contrasted with Mr. Wilson's
case, has a majority of his own
party in the senate, something Mr.
Wilson asked the country to give
him in the autumn of 1918. SO that
he could conduct the foreign rela-
tons OF the country without embar-
rassment of party politics.
The pendulum swings back The
embarrassments Of having SO much
OF congress to deal with that the
; delicate questions OF foreign policy
are viewed with alarm by Mr.. Lodge
himself, who told the senate on
Wednesday that the final power In
regard to negotiation rests and
. must rest with the president" He
added thai the president is mol
bound by any acton or advice We
may offer in regard to negotiation
any more than the senate is bound
when treaty comes within its lur'
isdiction, to accept the advice o.
the president
Pleads for Free Hand.
Mr.. Lodge pleaded for free han,
Cor the executive. Three years agt
the cry was that the chief eXecu
aiye was committing the country u
course of action which he had NJ
right to do. Foreign government
said they could only negotiate VIII
Mr.. Wilson because he was the cor.
stitutional head Of the executive
branch of tine government-the
claimed they couldn't deal with con
gress Mr.. wilson's position is up
held today by the arguments OF Re
publican leaders in the senate
. not because they favor the Yer
..sailles treaty or the league or an;
other parts of the treaty v''llcl
they orig nally fought-but becaus
they are coming back to the tradl
tional relationship which had al
IN tho WilcG