The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-08

VIC "i0"p' gladly ratify
it were they satisfied that President Harding's
Interpretation of it is absolutely correct and
that other governments, other American
statesmen will never have an opportunity to
put one over congress and the American
people. But since they not satisfied they
are busy framing supersubtle reservations"
However, "since Mr.. Harding is unwilling to
submit the record or disclose what passed dur
ing the course of negotiations" the Aberdeen
IS. d. World (Ind.), feels that the senate is
quite justified in making its own Interpretation
and attaching any safeguarding reservations it
thinks proper" for there must be nothing be-
hind these treaties that arise in the future
to qualify their plain terms To this attitude
the Milwaukee Sentinel CRep) replies that 1.-THE
entire atmosphere of the Washington confer
ence. the unexampled publicity, the frankness,
serve to destroy any lingering suspicious that
the tricks of the old diplomacy were utilized or
that anything injected into the treaty
which does not appear clearly on its face"
Rather, the Interpretive" reservations
which are being urged merely manifestations
of an "incurable malady' as the Lynchburg
News (Dem.) expresses it, or, as the New York
Tribune (Rep) puts it, the plaintive dirge of
an anvil chorus chanting mo reservation, no
treaty" Accordingly there has been accepted
by the senate committee a reservation which
the Tribune says is merely "a psychological
sedatve," the healing virtue of which is that
1T says in language as the senate understands
it what the treaty says in language as the ne
gOtiators understood it, written lin the SEN
ate's handwriting the bond" That res
ervation, which in still another figure the New
York Globe (Ind.) calls "a sort of vermiform
appendix which Senator Brandagee has Sc
cured, reads thus
1.-The United States understands that
under the statement in the preamble
under the terms of this treaty, there is
commitment to armed force no alliance,
obligation to join in any defense"
Obviously, the Chicago Post Cnd) COM
ments, Everybody else understands the same
thing too, why talk about it? why. for
the sake of saying an undsputabIe thing in
such solemn way should the senate refuse
the courtesy of ratifying the treaty outright"
Merely for the purpose. the New York World
(Dem.) replies, "of asserting the majesty of the
senate"
But "if the Brandagee reservation serves to
quiet the fears of those who believe, or profess
to believe that the United States is, under the
terms of the treaty, obliged to fight the battles
of its allies" the Salt Lake Tribune (Rep.)
thinks its acceptance will be good move, for
as the Grand Rapids Herald (RepD says 'it is
mere surplus declaration but being use
less it also is harmless" The INDIANAPOLIS
News GndD agrees that "if there has to be
reservation there could hardly be less objec-
tionable one" but it insists that mo reserva-
tons whatever are needed" and it agrees with
the New York times lind. Dem) that there
appears no doubt that there more than
votes enough in the senate for cleancut rati-
fcation," and that the president could get it if
he would ask for it, since, the Philadelphia
Public Ledger Gnd) declares, the nation is in
agreement with President Harding that reser-
vatiOnS are unnecessary Let the senators
have their reservations, since they are bound
to have their little game" but the New York
Post (Ind.) sees no reason why the president
should go in for the same dubious form of
amusement
Not all writer's however, regard the Bran
degee reservation as innocuous. What it means
in effect, the Philadelphia Record CInd
Dem.) translates it, is that nothing contained
in the treaty should give any indication of
what the United States might do in the future
or, as the Grand Rapids Press Und) para
phrases it, mo treaty of the United States binds
this country in honor; its execution shall not
be the duty of the president provided in the
constitution, but entirely according to the
caprice of the congress of the moment" 1t is
mot harmless the Muskegon Chronicle 1nd)
asserts, for the four-power treaty 'is not worth
the paper it is written on save as it is visible
manifestation of new era of good feeling be-
tween signatory powers, and anything that
strikes at that strikes at the only value in the
treaty" And the reservation does strike at the
mutual obligation which is the life of the treaty
the Springfield Republican Und) agrees for
"a bargain is a bargain and this reservation
"subtracts from the price those powers re-
ceived. If the senate adopts it. the senate
will in effect repudiate the contract signed by
our plenipotentiaries," for even the moral oh
legation is repudiated."
1t was never intended "to give the senate a
veto the president in foreign relations
yet this, the Cleveland Plain Dealer CInd Dem !
feels, lis about what is coming to pass" a sit
uatlon which the Boston-Herald (Ind, REM he
leVes has become so serious that IF these
treaties should be modified into ineffectiveness ;"
we shall have ito stop and consider where we
are at for it should not take another war to
convince us that we need an effective mechan-
ism of international negotiation"
They were built extensively and their operation
1a &c y -