The daily times., 1922-01-25


Ever since the return of Senator
Hiram Johnson from a trip to Cali
fornia, the Isolation bloc" consisting
of the original ''irreconcilables" who
fought the Versailles treaty plus a
few others from the Democratic side
of the chamber have constituted an
opposition formidable enough to pre-
vent ratification of the four-power
Pacific treaty as we'll as other pacts
by the Washington confer
ence. Mr.. Johnson announced op-
position has stiffened the backs of
some of his wavering colleagues.
Brandegee, an original ire
concilable, told the White House the
feeling against meddling in Europe's
affairs was still CtrOng in the Senate
and that it was going to be difficult
getting treaty through which dealt
with Pacific affairs.
President Harding will not of
course say publicly that he is refus-
ing to go to Genoa because of the sit
uation in the Senate but he is saying
that until the Washington confer
ence has completed it's work, there's
no use talking about other interna-
tional conferences.
By completing it's work is not
meant merely the adjournment of
the main conference. That's only the
beginning. 1t means ratification of
the treaties by the Senate. For when
the Washington conference ends, it
will have reached merely the same
point as the Versailles peace confer
ence-the critics then begin their
work of dissection and analysis. The
Senate is keeping quiet till the whole
set of treaties is submitted. Then the
biggest question of all will be an
swered-whether the executive
branch of the government under
Administration can do
any more in handling the Senate on
foreign policy than a Democratic Ad-
The drive for ratifica-
ton has not begun but the first
victory has been won by the isolation
bloc which has already obtained the
approval of the White House to it's
plan for the consideration of do
nestle matters first and treaties af-
terward.
No matter how enthusiastic Mr..
or Mr.. Hughes might be for
in the Genoa confer
ence, they cannot send official repre-
if they wait till after the
treaties are ratified because the
Genoa conference will be under way
and probably adjourned before the
Senate gets through discussing the
treaties. The expectation now is that
he treaties will follow the enactment
of a bonus bill and tariff bill. This
involves indefinite delay but the Ad-
has not yet interposed
my objection to that order of bust
1ess
The Administration told the dele
gates at the Washington conference
hat it was favorab1y disposed toward
IN economic conference. Premier
BRAND went away with the convic- !
ion that America would attend. |
Prime Minister Lloyd George was
convinced the United States was at |
asst coming to the aid of Europe. |
British flexibility and compliance
with American wishes at the arms
conference was based almost entire |
y upon the belief that cooperation |
With the United States at this time |
meant closer cooperation on economic !
lffairs later on. But Mr.. Harding did |
make it clear that the United States
take the initiative. Europe
lad to do that and the United States |
would consider the agenda or prof.
gram carefully before committing i
herself to participation. In the midst |
If this situation the BRAND ministry
vas overthrown and the first thing |
Premier Poincare did was to abolish |
he Supreme Council and decline to |
permit French delegates at Genoa to |
lISCuSS NcI IudA ISPdi dtloiIo. hCoC |
wo external developments gave the |
Administration an oppor-
unity to avoid giving domestic reas-
ms as the excuse for declining the J
invitation to Genoa Economic con-
erences are bound to be held and |
America is likely to attend but they |
ire postponed now until there is a |
on both sides of the At
antic In Europe it must be deter
mined whether the Poincare policy of
Trench isolation is to be triumphant,
md in America it must be determin-
ID whether the policy of American
ISOLATION is to be dictated by the
United States Senate to the Chief |