Evening star., 1922-03-08
The Reservation Habit.

Given the United States Senate and
a treaty to deal with, history ap-
parently can repeat itself with the
greatest fluency. 'The four-power
treaty." says the Charleston Is. CD
Post independent democratic). rs
travelling practically the same ROAD
the treaty of Versailles went along
in the Senate" And developments IN
that body are producing practically
the same reactions in the daily papers
as did those of two years ago. some
senators have acquired a habit, the
Chicago News Independently thinks
and the four-power treaty will simply
have to run the gantlet or those
former irreconcilables." who aver
that they are not opposed to 1t and
would gladly ratify it were they
satisfied that President Harding
Interpretation of it Is absolutely cor
rect. and that other governments, or
other American statesmen. will never
have an opportunity to put something
over on Congress and the American
people. But since they are not salts
fed they are busy framing super
subtle reservations.
However, "since Mr.. Harding is un-
willing to submit the record or dis
close what passed during the course
Of the negotiations" the Aberdeen
IS. d. World independently feels that
the Senate is quite justified In max
ing it's own Interpretation ana at
taching any safeguarding reserva-
tions it thinks proper" for there
must be nothing behind these treaties
that can arise in the future to qualify
their plain terms To this attitude
the Milwaukee Sentinel (republ1can)
replies that "the entire atmosphere
Of the washington conference. the
unexampled publicity, the frankness.
serve to destroy any lingering sus-
melons that the tricks of the old
diplomacy were utilized or that any
thing was injected into the treaty
face"
Rather, the "interpretative" reser-
vations which are being urged are
merely manifestations of an incur
able malady," as the Lynchburg
News (democratic) expresses it. or,
as the New York Tribune (republi.
CAM puts it. the plaintive I'd dirge Oh
there has been accepted by the Sem
ate committee a reservation which
the Tribune says is merely a psycno-'
logical sedative," the healing vir-
tue" Of which is that lit says in
1t what the treaty says in language
as the negotiators understood it,"
written "in the Senate's own hand
writing on the bond" That reserva-
ton, which in still another figure the
New York Globe Independently calls
"a sort of vermiform appendix which
Senator Brandegee has secured, reads
thus:
'aThe United States understands that
under the statement in the preamble
or under the terms of this treaty
there is no commitment to armed
Join in any defense"
Obviously, the Chicago Post (inde-
pendent) comments, Everybody else
Understands the same thing, too. SO
why talk about it? Why,
for the sake Of saying an undis-
should the Senate refuse the courtesy
Of ratifying the treaty outright?"
Merely for the purpose, the New York
World (democratic) replies, ''of as
serting the majestysof the Senate"
But "if the Brandegee reservation
believe. or profess to believe. that
the United States is under the terms
Of the treaty, obliged to fight the
battles of it's allies" the Salt Lake
Tribune trepublican) thinks its ac-
ceptance will be good move. for.
as the Grand Rapids Herald (repub-
lican) says, ut is mere surplus dec
1arations but being useless
it also is harmless" The Indianapolis
News independently agrees that "if
there has to be a reservation there
could hardly be a, less objectionable
one" but it insists that no reserva-
tions whatever are needed" and 1t
agrees with the New York Times (in-
dependent democratic) that there
appears no doubt that there are more
than votes enough in the Senate for a
clean-cut ratification" and that the
President could get It IL he would
ask for It. since, the Philadeaphia
clares, "the nation is in agreement
with President Harding that reserva-
tions are unnecessary" Let the
senators have their reservations
since they are bound to have their
little game" but the New York Post
; E(independent) sees mo reason why