Evening star., 1922-02-11
Held Not Cohesive Enough to
! Defeat Pacts Laid Before
the Senate.
PRESIDENTS ADDRESS
STIRS UP DISCUSSION
General Disposition Is to Accept
Executives Interpretation of
Texts of Agreements.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


The first impulse Of the democrats
in the United States Senate is to rat
ify the group Of treaties submitted by
President Harding. though in SO doing
they have in their hearts an unmis-
taxable feeling that they ought to
make an exception of the four-power
Pacific treaty.
This treaty, which puts an end to
the Anglo-Japanese alliance, will be
considered last and will be debated
more than the others.
Subject Of the Day.
President Harding's address to the
Senate is today the subject of much
discussion in congressional circles.
Its general effect was benefcial. But
several senators are suggesting that
Mr.. Harding. who, from the start, has
shown little desire to use his ad-
dresses to the Senate for partisan re-
Dukes. permitted himself to be drawn
into unnecessary expression OF dis
dain for the league of nations.
Except for the reference to the
league, which stirred up the anti
leaguers and provoked resentful
silence on the part of the democrats,
the speech was regarded by senators
generally as a splendid argument for
ratification.
Compared With Wilson's View.
1t was pointed out that President
Harding uses language almost identl-
cal with that of President Wilson IN
Submitting the Versailles treaty and
covenant Mr.. Wilson declared that
there was no compulsion except the
compulsion of our good conscience
and Judgment" in the League cove
nant and in the article which pledged
a respect for territorial integrity. MT.
TO m l..
mitment to armed force. no alliance.
no written or moral obligation 10
Join -in defense, no expressed or I'M
piled commitment to arrive at any
agreement" and he adds except IN
accordance with our constitutional
methods"
Mr.. Wilson pointed out that the
council of the league advises" what
should be done to enforce respect % Ior
the covenant and said. III In the
Judgment of the people OF the Cniteo
States. the council adjudEed wrong
Of force, there should be no necessity
on the part Of the Congress OF the
United states to vote the use OF force.
But there could be no advice Joi .tDe
council or any subject. wltnout 9
unanimous vote and the unsnocs y ~ ocs
cepteG the advice we would be ac-
cepting our own advice"
Mr. Harding further supports a
Wilson viewpoint on the idea OF re-
ciprocal engagements TO- to resPee. PPes.,dept tept
asks. asks awhy Should we not make re-
ciprocai engagements to respect the
territory of others and contract their
respect Of ours?"
Another passage which was marked
as inviting comparison with the wilson
utterances in favor of the league is this
ADDRESS.
"If nations may not safely agree to
respect each others right and may not
agree to confer If one to the compact
threatens trespass. or may not agree
to advise If one party to the pact Is
threatened by an utside power. tneh
all concerted efforts to tranqullltze the
world and stabilize peace must be flung
to the winds"
And here Is what Mr.. Wilson sup.
ported in the famous article x: THE
members of the league undertake to
respect and preserve as against ex.
ternal aggression the territorial tnteg.
rity and existing political independence
Of all members of the league. In case
of any such aggression or in case OF
any threat or danger of such aggres.
sion the council shall advise upon the
means by which this obligation shall
be fulfilled" ~ ~
B0rah Differs ON Interpretation.
The republicans in the Senate didn't
accept Mr.. Wilson's Interpretation OF
what the word advise" meant. They
said it meant fight" Will the demo
Gratis now accept Mr.. Harding's in.
terpretation-his denial that the
four-power pact contains any obliga-
ton to fight and his promise that the
words "advise and confer" do no,
mean a conference hostile to the
power or powers who threaten to violate
the new treaties?
Senator Borah of Idaho already
differs in his construction of the
meaning of the treaties. Senator
johnson objects on more or less the
same ground. An entire presidentia
campaign was fought on implied
meanings of words. The disposition
Of the majority in Congress today i.
to accept the Harding Interpretation
The democratic ranks are divided b,
the conversion of Senator Underwood
democrat, to the republican viewpoint
The weapons of ambiguous words are
there for both sides just the sam,
as in the league'o of nations fight, bu
at present writing the democrats ar.
not sufficiently cohesive to defeat thu
Harding-Hughes treaties.
Copyright. 1922