The Dominion FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1919. WHAT WILL AMERICA DO?

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 126, 21 February 1919, Page 4

The Dominion FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1919. WHAT WILL AMERICA DO?

' The altitude of American political' parties towards, the 'peace settlement and particularly in re-gard-to setting up ai • League of Nations is of vital interest to all the Allied . Powers. Not many weeks ago, when it wds .thought that .President Wilson . and his colleagues might come into sharp conflict with the representatives ofseveral Allied nations, confident assertions were made by some apparently irresponsible persons that if agreement with the United States! proved to be unattainable the European allies would themselvesset- up _ a great international confederation. It was suggested, though certainly j not by. any responsible Allied'-, statesman, that such an arrangement .might even be preferable to' a 'comprehensive League.of Nations. It is safe to sa-y such ideas'were, not given serious, consideration. In view of late developments it now seems probable that from the outset there jvas no reap danger of the Allied representatives and' those of the ; United States'failing >to reach a' firm agreement. _-' It is in any case certain' - that without:'the -United Stafes as a full partner- the League of Nations could not hope i to fully serve. Ityi. ends in' view, arid no secure' guarantees, could be : afforded of future peace. _We are particularly well placed in this part of the world ' to realise' what prospect there would be of establishing sound - international order in 'the Pacific if America stood aloof. At a larger view, failure, to retain the co-operation of '■ the 1 United ' States would mean ' that • not;* only the greater part ; of the' two Americas, but a , considerable number of European and Asiatic countries would remain, outside the scope of any international- covenants concluded by i the Allies. Obviously in these circumstances there could be no effective League of Nations; the world inevitably would-relapse into .pre-war conditions of international rivalry, and the colossal efforts and sacrifices'of the last four years would go for nothing. Much, therefore, depends upon the amount of authority attaching to the utterRepublican -.- Senators in the- United -States, who ■ ,'of. late' have been outspokenly denouncing President Wilson's policy at ' the Peace\ Conference, and in particular; his support-.of the League of 'Nations project. It is evident that if these, senatorial criticisms had tho. support of a majority of the American, people a period would speedily be. set to the hopes that,-have been raised at 'the Peace Conference of upholding justice and safeguarding peace by united, international action.' Fortunately, however, there l is no reason to believe that SENATOR ■PoiNDExTER and those who share his attitude constitute more than a minority in. the United" States Senate or represent any considerable section of the American people, So far as the United States is concerned a Republican Senate will have the last word.in regard to conditions of peace and the . constitution of -the League of Nations. Tho new Congress, with the Republicans in a considerable.majority in both Houses, opens its term in less than a- fortnight; and it is with this Congress that.. Pkesipenx Wilson will henceforth have to deal. 1 With a majority in the Senate'the Republicans are in a position to'reject the President's peaco. policy or to amend it as they de^re.', It already seems safe .to predict, however, that at Vast a majority of the party will join -the Democrats in giving him tho fullest possible -support ; so far as the issues of,peace-are concerned. Now that' Mr. ' Roosevelt has been removed by death probably no Republican leader speaks with more weight on behalf of his party than ox-President 'Taft; 'and ne has unreservedly commended the measures thus far taken towards setting up the League of Nations. In a statement transmitted yesterday he expressed general Approval of the draft covenant, but,, as will be seen from one of to-day's cablegrams, his full statement went further. He said, according to the. later report, that "All must thank God as they read the provisions of the covenant, which would.'prevent- war. • President. Wilson . should 'be warmly congratulated." , • '/ . ;.

Some very recent reports • have asserted that, the Republicans are uncertain what, attitude to take up in regard to the League of Nations, but it is probablj; nearqr, the,, truth that the question is no longer open and that the American people already feel themselves permanently committed .to the larger part in international affairs upon which they entered when they joined forces with the Allies in the war. - The cardinal fact which must be expected to govern America's decision is that considerations closely analogous . to 'those which induced her to this decisive step now impel her with equal force to co-operate in maintaining the iAternationa-l rights and libei'ties she has assisted to .preserve. .The position was admirably summed up by President Wilson in a recent spceeh in Italy. The people of the United Strifes (he paid) were reluctant to take part in'the war, not because they doubted the justice of the cause, but because it yas the tradition of the American Republic to play no part in the ,politics- of other continents. But as the struggle" grew from stage- to staee they were more and more,' moved by the conviction that it was not a European struggle— that it was a struggle-for the 1 frepdom of the-world and the liberation of with that conviction' it was impossible that they should withhold their hands. - The tins between, the United States and the Allies, the President added, now constituted the pledge- of a.

permanent association of purpose. The only logical sequel to America's co-operation in the _ war is her equally free co-operation iri establishing and safeguarding peace. The war has brought enlightenment to many nations. To her it has brought the knowledge not only that she has an international duty to perform in the world, but that she cannot secure. her own future by any narrow and parochial policy of isolation. America'ns'are well aware that they defended their own liberties as well as those of Allied nations on the seas and battlefields of Europe. They must equally be aware it is as essential to their own future security as to that of other nations that their country should become an effective'partner in the- League of Nations. ManyAmerican utterances might be cited as "showing how overwhelmingly these views predominate in the United States. •An instructive example is a recent article in the New )Tork Evqiiny Post, *a journal formerly almost pacifist in policy. ' 'To ta!k nowof a separate peace, and of the United States drawing apart in jealous aloofness," it observes, "is to speak- the language of a man walking in his sleep. Every American fully awake must see how inextricably his country is involved in the problems which are making.) European statesmen haggard with; anxiety. The plain fact is that! we cannot deny our own. A nation' may find to its own surprise that it has grown to enormous influenceand possesses a giant's strength. But-its stature, once attained, canhot be diminished by an act of will. the rest of the. world calls ■upon it to exercise its great power for the 'good of; humanity it cannot shrink within itself and refuse the appeal." It may "be hoped that no other sentiments , will prevail when the League of Nations covenant is submitted to Congress.