Evening star., 1923-05-18
SIGNS INDICATE
HARVEY MAY QUIT
Envoy to London and Harding
Said to Differ on World
Court Policy.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

tween him and the President are base
less and that he is returning to his
post after the customary vacation.
But such is not the case.
The ambassad dor brought with him
twenty trunks containing. it is said,
many of his confidential papers. He
is going back. it is true. to clean up
his affairs on the other side, but his
intention on arriving here at least
was to resign his post at the time
most convenient to the President.
The name most prominently men
toned as successor is that of Henry
Fletcher. ambassador to Belgium.
who went to South America recently
as the head of the United States dele
cation to the pan-American confer
Ance at Santiago. Chile. He was un,
dersecr etary of state and right-hand
man to Secretary Hughes before he
went to Belgium. and he mas nau d
long and successful career In me
diplomatic service of the United
States under both democratic and re-
publican administrations.
Had Army Career.
Although he was in the Army and
one of Roosevelt's Rough Riders. ne
turned to the diplomatic service
shortly after the Spanish American
war, and after an experience In Farl-
Gus parts of the world became MIN
lister to Chile and was elevated to the
post Of ambassador by President Will
son who later sent him as the first
ambassador to Mexico. when the Sar-
rama government was recognized.
There is a warm personal frlenu-
ship between Mr.. Harding ana Am
also that the Secretary OF STATE
esteems the diplomatic ability. OF MT.
Fletcher very highly too. so that tne
appointment to London would not
come as a surprise.
Ever since Ambassador Harvey has
been in London there have been reports
of recurring friction between him ana
the government at Washington, but
nothing has ever come TO the sur
face on which a rumor OF severance
of relations would seem to be 1uStl-
fed. 1t is known. however. that MI;
Harvey has not felt that the world
court need be tied up to the league
Of nations and his whole background
has baen closer to the so-called ir-
reconcilables" than the viewpoint
now taken by President Harding.
Relations Are Pleasant.
There would be nothing personal
side of President Harding. for he is
the kind of man who respects
those who differ with him and har-
bors no grudges when conviction
governs an opposite view from his.
So the presence of Ambassador Har-
vey and Mrs. Harvey at the White
House denotes d continuance of tine
pleasant relations that have existed.
hos necessarily
to the views of the American am
hassador on what foreign policy
should be.
Wien Ambassador Harvey went to
London almost his first utterance
was warning to Europe that the
United States would not join the
league of nations, directly or indi-
rectly. and would have nothing to
commission or organization created
by the league.
President Harding did not see the
speech in advance. and it was felt at
the time that Mr.. Harvey may have
interpreted the Presidents position
with too much restriction on future
freedom of action. Since then the
President has publicly announced his
Willingness to have America enter
world court tied up to the league of
nations. This refutes the Harvey pre-
diction.
Recalls Roots Message.
incidentally, it is pertinent to re-
produce here a portion of the text
of a cablegram sent by Elihu Root
from London to George Harvey when
he was a guest at Marion in the lat
ter part of August, 1920, prior. of
course, to Mr.. Harding's famous Des
Moines speech, in which he declared
against entering the league. and prior
to his later statement. after his cleo
tion. to the effect that the league Of
nations was dead. Here is what Mr..
the Root cablegram was tossed into
the waste basket or. at any rate.
brushed aside with adverse comment
when Mr.. Harvey presented it:
Declaration on which Hays asks an
opinion cannot be defined. The Hague
court cannot be made to cover any
thing but justiciable questions. Mat
ters of state policy must be dealt with
by conference of powers. See eXplana-
tion in my letter to Hays of March.
1919. 1t is very unwise to declare the
league dead. 1t would not be true. The
league has hardly begun function. be-
cause the terms of peace have not yet
been enforced by the victorious ma
tions.''
1t never has developed whether Mr.
at the contents Of that telegram, but
the stories from Marion at the time
represented Mr.. Harding as believing
that Mr.. Root was wrong. and that the
Hague tribunal could accomplish all
that was necessary in International CO.
operation plus, of course, conference and
diplomacy between nations affected.
Advice Found Sound.
Much water has gone over the dam
since that time, but President Hard
ing has found Elihu Roots advice
was sound. namely. that the world
court which Mr.. Root helped to make
is worthy of the support of the ad-
and that its relationship
to the league is not an insuperable
barrier to Endorsement Of the project
Mr.. Harvey went TO London, however,
a confirmed "irreconcilable." Mr..
Harding has turned somewhat from
the extreme wing of the party and
taken middle ground on foreign
affairs.
Mr.. Harvey is represented as be-
lieving some one else should handle
the Interpretation of American policy
abroad under such circumstances
There have been denials, and prob
ably will be more before a resiena-
tion Is announced but the discussion
of successor which has been going
on in well-informed circles takes it
for granted that George Harvey will
shortly say goodbye to London and
the Court of st. James.
Copyright. 1921