Evening star., 1924-12-06
COOL|DGE'S SPEECH
ISHELD CHALLENGE
Foreign Policy No Longer to
Be Dictated by "Irrecon-
[ ciIabIe" Group.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Pfesident Coolidge has taken sig
nifeant step forward in developing
thetforeign policy of his administra-
ton. His speech before the Chicago
Commercial Club makes even palmer
thes broad purposes outlined IN the
annual message sent to Congress TINS
week, and means that the program OF
thenCnited States toward Europe viii
no longer be dictated by Senator III
ram Johnson of California ana the
"irreconcilable" group.
What Mr.. Coolidge has just sald
about ending isolation and co-operat-
ing with the other nations OF the
world is what President Harding feit'
hut did not, express, and what Mt.
Coolidge himself has believed ever
since the European war introduced
The European problem into American
affairs. But neither Mr.. Harding nor
Mr.. Coolidge ventured to challenge
openly the ''irreconcilables.
Wilson Views Seen.
Today the situation is different. MT.
Coolidge does not favor American &C
ceptance of the present covenant OF
the League of Nations-he made that
clear again in his last message-out
he utters the American conception OF
cooperation with Europe with all the
fervor expressed by the League Of
Nations advocates themselves. Some
of his very sentences might have been
spoken by the late President Wilson
in decrying a policy of isolation.
Mr.. Coolidge may differ with the
Democrats as to what is the best
formula for international co-opera-
ton He, like Secretary Hughes,
seems opposed to any rigid institu-
ton or TO any definitely established
rules like those in the covenant, es-
pecially because some of these are re-
garded as ambiguous, But the OBJ
iectives of Mr.. Coolidge as now eX-
pressed are the same as those OF the
League OF Nations itself.
Changes Are Responsible.
What has brought about this open
expression of friendship for policy
of direct cooperation with Europe?
Several circumstances have BEEN re-
sponsible. One Is the gradual disap-
pearance of the "irreconcilable" group
or their loss of influence with the
electorate. Senator Lodge and Sena-
tor Brandkgee are dead. Senator Me
dill Mccormick OF Illinois was de-
feated in the primaries for renomina-
ton and will retire from the Senate
next March. Senator Moses of New
Hampshire has not been hostile to
Mr.. Coolidge since the latter's cause
triumphed in the New Hampshire pri-
maries. Senator Johnson of Caiifor-
MIA was repeatedly defeated in the
presidential primaries by Mr.. Coolidge
himself.
IIns Watched Sentiment.
The President has been careful
observer of the trend of sentiment in
the Senate ever since the war He
knows that at no time did the isola-
tioniSts command a two-thirds vote.
There never was a time when the
League of Nations was being debated
that Il two-t thirds vote could not have
been obtained for the Versailles
treaty with some kind of reservations,
The treaty failed because OF dispute
over reservations. The 'irreconcil-
abes." who did not favor the league
At all, were always IN the minority.
AIR Coolidge's POSITION fagfgfs tina t
he league covenant has .Sot been
sufficiently changed to permit OF
American participation, though TIE
issue has so much Of a political
Havor that it will be several years
before such an admission would even
be possible.
The important thing of the mo-
idge of the policy that most every
one inside the Government circle
realized was the true wish of the
majority of the Senate, namely, real
cooperation with other nations. Mr..
Coolidge has taken occasion, after
election, too, to answer some of the
attacks made on his policy by John
w. Davis. Mr. Coolidge gives this
all-important definition of American
foreign policy:
Cannot Hold Aloof.
I'VE cannot hope indefinitely to
maintain our country as a specially
favored community, an isle of con-
tentment lifted above the general
level of the average of the standards
of humanity. I know there was a
time when many among US believed
this was possible.
But who now can continue cling
ing to such faith in view of the les
son which the war brought to US?
II we could not avoid involvment in
q war whose causes were foreign and
whose issues were chiefly alien to us
because we had settled them for our
selves long ago, how can We hope
10 avoid our full share of RESPONSE
bility in connection with other world
problems, which, IL they are ever to
be solved, must be solved in an at
mosphere of peace and good will?
We must be constantly ready to help
both at home and abroad where our
help is desired and will be effective.
Have Been. Favored People.
I'VE have been a peculiarly favored
people. For that we owe a debt that
10 real and concrete, which we cannot
repudiate. 1t is our wish TO live in a
world which shall be at peace But
we can no more assure permanent
and stable peace without cooperation
among the nations than we could as
sure victory in war without allies
among them. We know that the way
is assured and permanent peace is
slow and difficult. We know that no
nation can travel that way alone. We
tried and We failed. 1t is a way that
can only be travelled in company with
others equally Jealous for the same
goal. Among these fellows of the
road there must be mutual under.
standing and mutual faith and con-
fidence. 1t is only when these un-
denstandings have been reached and
the Unnecessary assurances of that faith
ana confidence have been given and
received that mankind will be ready
more effectively to consider its inter.
nal problems of social and economic
adjustment. l can see in the tran.
ouiility of Europe a benefit that Will
reach American industry and agricul-
ture."
Nothing More Asked.
Nothing more explicit than tn,
regoing has been asked for by
the majority OF the banking ant
business elements OF the country
nothing more idealistic hass beer