The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-12-23
A CHANGE OF HEART

Senator Borah, arch foe of the Versailles treaty and the League of Nations, wants President Harding to call an international conference to discuss business, financial and economic problems including German repa- rations; and the reduction of armaments not included in the terms of the naval treaty negotiated at tho Washington arms confer ence. There could be no moro significant indication that new light has dawned on tho apostles of national isolation than the Borah proposal. Although unofficially, and chiefly by newspaper correspondents at the capital, the Idaho senator was given much of the credit for bringing pressure to bear on President Harding which resulted in his calling the arms conference together, he has been one of the most outspoken opponents of American participation in foreign affairs. Even more than Lodge, the nominal republi- can leader in the Senate, he was responsible for the defeat of tho Versailles treaty, which kept the United States out of the League of Nations.
 MT. Borah should now realize, as nearly every other well-informed person does, that America cannot hold aloof and let Europe be destroyed The future of the United States and that of Europe are inseparable. They stand or fall together. Economic chaos in Europe means business and indus trial stagnation in America. We were drawn into Europes big war. We are now drawn into Europe's peace affairs It Is ancient history now, but if we had joined the League of Nations and co-operated with Europe in solving postwar problems, in- stead of withdrawing and leaving the Eu- ropean nations to resume their plotting against one another, confidence would have been maintained, series of futile confer ences might have been avoided, and the world would have been well on the way by this time toward economic stabiization. The Lodges, Borahs and other 'irreconcila- blesn have much to answer for on that score. Sooner or later, we must take up the task we abandoned As Senator Borah says, Eu- rope's economic condition Is being keenly felt in the United States. For selfish req sons, if for no other reasons, larger par ticipation by America In foreign affairs Is urgent. American farmers and manufactur- CTS cannot find adequate markets abroad for their surplus products, because Europe is in no position to buy. America cannot pros per with her exports cut off. The success of the merchant marine depends in part on the stabilization of Europe. German reparations are, as Senator Borah declares, the 'gsey to the European situation" That would be the first problem that an interna- tional conference called by President Hard- ing would have to consider, unless something comes of the plan of the American govern ment, now being tentatively discussed, of an American commission to fix the size of the German indemnity. In addition to the necessity for settling economic questions resulting from the World war and the wrangles that have followed, there is also the matter of reducing ornaments not in- cluded in the naval treaty, since it appears that unless some restrictions are placed on smaller war vessels, airplanes and subma- rines, the race for naval supremacy will go on and add to the billions already spent for this purpose. The hour has struck for the policy of isolation. America must go back to Europe, not with ships and soldiers, but on mission of peace. The sooner she be- gins to play the part in European affairs she should play, the better it will be for Europe and the American people. Why not through the League of Nations?