New-York tribune., 1922-12-29

What the Senate Can Do

What the Senate Can Do
Mr.. Harding was a Senator before
ne became President. He knows the
limitations on the Senate's power 70
initiate foreign policies and to con-
duct foreign relations. There is
favor Of homely common sense in
his reminder 70 the Senate that its
real forte is legislation, and not
diplomacy.
II the Senate is anxious TO contrib
ute 10 a settlement Of the interna-
tional economic problem it is open to
II, for instance, TO pass a bill author
izing the appointment Of a full
'aedged American member Of the
Reparation Commission and 70
amend the rigid war debt commits
sion act, which obstructs a reason
able and generous scheme Of refund
ing. These legislative exhibits would
be far more valuable than any reso-
luton could be merely advising the
President on what terms TO call an
international economic conference.
A conference, either here or in
Europe, will undoubtedly come when
conditions are ripe for IL; and It is
clear that the Administration has
been doing all possible TO create a
basis upon which il can succeed. But
nothing restrsins Mr.. Borah and his
followers from doing something at
once toward cooperation and recon-
struction. They have only 10 accept
a couple Of perfectly sound Admin
istration ideas which they turned
down when first suggested.
The Presidents letter 10 Mr.. Lodge
contomplates, in fact, a realization
Of the Administration earlier Eu-
ropean program. Congress was
strongly opposed a year or more ago
TO any concessions on the war debts
and To any participation in the repa-
ration settlement. Mr.. Harding, Mr..
Hughes and Mr.. Mellon were several
laps ahead Of Congress. Economic
pressure here for fuller world mar
ket has now speeded up the farm
bloc and other stragglers. There is a
sardonic humor in the fact that they
are at present trying 70 demonstrate
they are in the van-not Harding,
Hughes and Mellon. Mr., Borah, as
dyed-in-the-wool anti-isolstionist
and a friend Of international concert
whipping up a backward Admins
iration, is a figure Of Chaplinesque
comedy.
The Administration took Mr..
Borah's measure a little over a year
ago. He was then laundering for
naval armament limitation confer
enee. He was fully persuaded that
the President was against him. He
was allowed TO cherish that illusion
until the State Department had
sounded out the other powers and
laid the basis for the Washington
conference. Then the Borah program
was expanded so as TO cover a Pa
clhc and Far Eastern settlement
a necessary preliminary TO any ma
val disarmament.
The Borah incident Of 1921 seems
10 have repeated itself. The Admin
istration is preparing to bring about
economic stabilization in Europe.
Mr.. Borah is trying 70 create the
impression once more that he is the
real mover in such matters. In the
naval limitation project he moved
one way for a time and then turned
around and moved the other. But
the work as planned by the Admins
tration went through TO success.
II Is the Presidents purpose to
negotiate another big four-power,
fve-power or six-power adjustment,
il possible All the threads Of a set
Element are in his hands. He must
depend primarily upon himself TO
keep them from tangling. The SEN
ate may encourage him much with
its good will, but il can help him
little with its directions. Meanwhile
it can show its practical friendliness
best by lifting the ban on the ap-
pOintment Of a Reparation Commits.
sioner--a ban created by a reservR-
ton Of It's own TO the Berlin treaty
and by breaking the ironelad re-
strictions with which il insisted on
swaddling the Debt Commission.
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