The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-04
MIR. HUGHES DUALIZES

Academy of Political and Social Science, it is evidently not Hughes the statesman who is talking, but Hughes the attorney for the Repub- lican administration. That is to say, in his treatment of the subject of how our foreign policy is not in conflict with the principle on which the Mon roe Doctrine is based, Secretary Hughes does not give his own per- sonal views of whether our foreign policy is right, but rather presents a brief, showing what that policy is and what the Republican purpose entails. In no other way can one reconcile the Hughes speech of Friday with previous utterances that were capable of being interpreted as his own views. The Hughes plan to make an economic survey of Germany, his adherence to the world court plan, his former ad- vocacy of an association of nations to prevent war, his participation in the Washington peace conference, and his lively personal interest in foreign af- fairs all go to show that Hughes him self, unhindered by his official respon- sibility as representative of the ad- ministration, is quite different per- son from the Hughes that must con- form to the policy adopted by the Re- publican party.
 Undoubtedly. MT. Hughes training as lawyer stands him in good stead in his present position, for it enables him to distinguish between his own views and the argument necessary to discharge his duty as counsel for the administration. Were it not for this Ecapacity for twinning his mind on any given subject, undoubtedly so con scientious and intelligent an official would have had to resign long ago. Nevertheless, there creep into his Fri day address certain utterances that are fundamentally correct, as, for ex- ample: "We are not seeking to die tate to Europe or to deprive anyone of rights. But we do desire peace and economic recuperation in Europe" It is, of course, no treason to his party for MT. Hughes to entertain such q view, provided he doesn't try to carry it into official practice, in which case the irreconcilables will get him if he doesn't watch out.
 But the secretary leaps from the per-  I,sonal to the partisan viewpoint when he remarks: .'It is not that our in- terests may not be affected injuriously by such controversies. That vas true in the days of Washington, Jefferson and Monroe. But it was, despite such injuries, the abiding conviction that we had better bear these ills ~tha:, suffer the greater evils which would follow the sacrifice of our independent position. We still hold to that view" There are, however, two errors in the above logic. The first is the unwar- ranted assumption that the alterna- tive to the isolation policy is the "sac- rifice of our independent position" No advocate of the Wilsonian poIi- cies, not MT. Wilson himself, ever con- templated such policy as would re- suit in the surrender of one whit of our sovereignty.
 The second flaw in MT. Hughes logic is his citing of Washington, lief ferson and Monroe as examples of those who bore "those ills" Wash ington was our leader in our first for eign entanglement, and we tangled with the British until we obtained the victory for which we fought. It was Jefferson who dispatched fleet to the Mediterranean to compel the pi- rates of Tripoli to respect our com merce. It was Monroe who was sec retary of state when we had our sec- ond entanglement with Great Britain, and who, when he became president, enunciated the famous doctrine which was replete with potentialfties of for eign entanglement had any nation chosen to challenge it.
 Our foreign trade today is menaced by European conditions even more than when Britain raided our mer- chant ships for seamen, or when the pirates of Tripoli sought to capture our merchantmen. In order to defend ourselves against such a situation, 4 there are those who would turn, not to war, but to diplomatic associations for the discussion and arbitration of vexing questions and the prevention of those wars to which our forefathers were from time to time compelled to resort. Mir. Hughes, when not off cially bound, is one of that number.
 MAGNUS JOHNSON GOES ASTRAY
 Since he has been knocking around l Washington by way of ascertaining Ihow the land lay and familiarizing him.