Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-16

in power today Aaa2s ~ 4as8ss
cannot commit David Lawrence
the Senate which will be in power
when treaty Of peace is submitted
for ratification by tWo-thirdS vote
The theory that resolution
adopted now will be a moral COM
mitment or & warning to the Worlc
that we will not abandon our Allies
is plausible but not persuasive
Back in 1916, for instance, there
was high resolving. too. No less
a public figure than the late Henry
Cabot Lodge, grandfather of the
present Senator from Massachusetts
made a public speech before the
League of Enforce Peace, of which
the late William Howard Taft was
president. In that speech Mr.. Lodge
came out in favor of an association
of nations with an international
police force to preserve peace, but
by 1919 he changed his mind and
said so frankly in a debate with
President Lowell of Harvard. Posi-
bly, party politics had something to
do with it,
Right to Change Minds.
Senators, like Presidents, reserve
the right to change their minds.
Thus Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
as the vice presidential candidate of
the Democratic party. campaigned
the country in 1920 with James NJ.
Cox on platform supporting Wood
row Wilson'S position on the League
of Nations. But by the spring of
1892, when William Randolph Hearst
was attacking Mr.. Roosevelt as a
possible internationaliSt and de-
handing TO know where Mr.. Roose-
welt stood before ha-Mr. Hearst
gave the support of his newspapers
to the presidential candidacy of
the Governor Of New York, the
latter wrote a letter scuttling the
league. Possibly politics had some
thing to do with it.
" llCll Will Vic AlIltIICd people
begin to realize that resolutions are
meaningless because back of them
there is no sense of responsibility
for action? The only thing that
can count now is a definite COM
mitment by the Senate and the
President, along with other nations,
for new world organization in
which the obligations of the mem
Der nations will be specifically de-
fined. If it is too early to set up
such an organization now because
the Allied nations are not in agree
ment on postwar problems, then it
Is too early TO do any resolving
with moral commitments that may
only serve to revive charges some
day that the United States SEN
ate welches on its pledges.
The American people have a
right to know what is meant by
an international police force. Is
it intended that the police force
shall be small and just enough to
sonelch aggression? Is it intended
that all the major powers shall dis
arm? Who is to control the police
force, and, if it is international,
will no single nation have any con-
troll over 1t? Will the United
States then be compelled to 90 TO
war the moment the international
force is ordered into action? Can
such a step be taken without
amending our Constitution. when
gives Congress alone the right to
declare war?
Maybe there is an effective way
to overcome these obstacles and
bring about an international police
force, Maybe the better way is to
pledge military and naval and
aerial support to the covenants of
the new world organization and
leave it TO every nation to honor
itS obligations But certainly
whatever ones opinions are OF this
difficult and delicate question, it is
not easily disposed Of by few
vague phrases adopted by the
United States Senate in the midst
OF war.
The phraSing Of tho Atlantic
Charter is in itself broad and gen
eral. It is declaration OF prin-
ciples The Senate can accept il
by formal resolution of adherence
and so can every other parliament
or legislative body. If 1t is not in
the proper form for submission. il
can be altered IN phraSeology Sc
as to carry out the spirit Of thu
declaration. But new set of roSo-
buttons developed in the haphazarC
way that compromise legislation is
usually drafted in the committee
rooms Of Congress is not the way t.
make national policy.
Likewise, if the Department O
State, which is in charge Of for.
eign policy, viii submit lis recon
mendationS and agree Simuljauc
oUsly with other governments o,
the wording of declaration OF
declaration assuming that it j.
intended 10 60 further than tn
phrases of the Atlantic Charter
then the Senate can perform II
proper function in approving such
declaration or agreement. An
other step which does not carr,