Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-26
PRESIDENT HARDING
To MAKE No MOVES
FOR ALLIES CAUSE
BY ROBERT r. SMALL
Leased Wire~Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1929

(COpyrlght, I9ZZ.J
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23.-Any
conference, in which the United
States actively participates, looking
to a settlement of affairs in Europe,
must be held in this country, pref
erably in Washington.
President Harding will not go to
Europe, nor will he send any rep
resentative with plenary powers to
Europe.
The president believes that if
America "goes in" her lncurslon
must be made in the midst of the
widest possible publicity. That pub
licity only is possible in this coun'
try.
The president further believes that
the American people will give their
support to plans for assistance only
if they know all about those plans.
The American people are suspicious
of European conferences. These con-
ferences smack of Old World di'
plomacy.
Washington, on the other hand,
is entirely free from the atmosphere
> of intrigue and deception. They are
diplomatic traits which do not flour
,, ish here, even if imported.
1t is the belief in administration
circles that in Washington con
| ference the extent to which America
might commit herself in foreign al
| fairs would be under better control
| than if the conference were held IN
| Europe and cable exchanges were
necessary. Mr.. Harding would want
| to be in immediate touch with such
| a conference and as nothing could
drag him overseas in emulation or
| Woodrow Wilson, the statesmen OF
| Europe must come to this country II
the conversations" now in prog
| ress lead to a point where a confer
ence actually is connected.
Moral Influence
. 1t is admitted in Europe, that
help, both moral and financial, can
come to that stricken continent only
from the United States. For the
past three years the people of the
| United States, however, have been
harangued with direful forecasts of
| the evil that would come from any
move on the part of America to par
ticipate IN European affairs. The
halls of congress, especially the sem
ate, have rung with sOnorous de-
nunciations of Europe and all her
works. The people have been warned
| that any move in the direction or
European aid would mean loss OF
American independence.
This campaign now has ceased.
Word has gone from the White
House that the United States. after
all, cannot be unmindful of what IS
going on in Europe, and that there
is an obligation on great ana pros.
porous people to lend a helping hand
to once well-tO-do neighbors and
friends. 1t will take some time,
nevertheless, to wipe out the ef'
fects Of much of the propaganda
of isolation which has been preach
ed so long, and it is held here thar
one of the best methods of doing
this is to have the conference come
to Washington.
The PSYCHOLOGICAL effect of hold
ing the conference in this country
upon the people of this country can
not be oVer-estimated. This was
strikingly illustrated in the arms and
Far Eastern conferences, held here
a year ago. The. American people
felt they knew all about that CON
ference from beginning to end; they
felt that in a way it was their own
. conference, anu L4lCS WI Y
ready whole-heartedly to approve
any scheme that came out of that
conference. If the gathering had
taken place in London or Paris, or
Rome, there always would have been
a suspension in the minds of the
American people that Europe was
putting something over" again.
Wilson Precedent
Tho eyDarianoo President Wilson
had with the United States senate
over the treaty of Versailles is still
fresht in the mind of President Har'
ding. Therefore, if there is to be
a radical change in American for
eign policy, probably involving a
treaty or agreement Of some kind,
the president wants the senate to
know all about the negotiations. He
wants the conference so held so
that the representatives in congress