Established 1866. The Marlborough Express. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1919. AMERICA AND THE PEACE TREATY.

Marlborough Express, Volume LIII, Issue 277, 25 November 1919, Page 4

Established 1866. The Marlborough Express. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1919. AMERICA AND THE PEACE TREATY.

The success achieved by the Republican Party .in -the, > American Senate in carrying amendments and "reservations" which, for the. time being at least, render it impossible for the Government to ratify the Peace Treaty solemnly signed by President Wilson at Versailles, undoubtedly creates a new_ and danger-laden situation in Europe. Both in France and in Great Britain there is evidently great anxiety as to the final outcome of the impasse which has been reached at Washington. No man dare, predict with any confidence that Europe may not be plunged into another horrible war within ten or fifteen years from now; indeed, it is quite; clear from the Times and other < articles on/ the present position of affairs in ■ Germany, extracts from /which have been cabled out during the last few, days, that grave anxiety; exists in' London as to the .chances of .the Republican* regime at!; Berlin giving place, at no distant date, to a new monarchical and militarist Government. A policy of standing aloof from all intervention ; 4 in European affairs, if permanently pursued; by the United States, could not fail to involve both France .and Great Britain in heavy additional expense jin the maintenance of naval and military forces adequate for_ the task of meeting and conquering a revenge-seeking Germany. ■ Quite apart from this, should Congress finally decide against the ratification of the Versailles ■•Treaty save with the reservations carried by the Republican majority in the Senate, the task of restoring order in Armenia and Asia Minor, of assisting in the maintenance of the new States of Jugo-Slavia; and Poland, to say nothing of bringing about some permanent arid satisfactory solution of the problem of on what conditions the Turk shall remain at Constantinople, will b&, left solely to Great Britain and France'to undertake. This is a prospect only too well calculated to cause'anxiety both in London and in Paris, for neither Great Britain nor France is at. the. present time, or' likely to be , for some considerable time to come, in a position of sufficient financial strength to act the',policeman in Eastern Europe. As to the immediate additional 'responsibilities to be thrown upon the British taxpayer, and taxpayers, generally throughout the British Empire, by the standing aloof policy which is apparently to be taken up by the United States, Lord Jellicoe has already made a very significant statement. The British ..Navy, he says, must be maintained ;at its full strength, and what this, means to the British taxpayer may well be imagined. . v ~'( So far as we are stble ,to judge by a careful perusal of .recent articles in the North American Review, which is strongly Republican in its politics, and other leading American journals which support the action taken by > Senator TLodge and, his friends, the opposition of the Republican majority in the Senate to the Peace Treaty as signed by President Wilson is based upon a . strongly held opinion that so far at 'least,, as the/United States >is Concerned a policy of Nationalism is preferable to one, of Internationalism. The Nationalist policy of Senator Lodge and, his supporters includes protection and a rigid adherence to and defence of the Monroe Doctrine, a policy of absolute non-interference .-• in European affairs so long as American interests are not directly menaced—in fact, a policy of "a self-contained America." It must be remembered that the Republican Party in the United States has generally been credited with- favoring what in England would be, styled a conservative policy. It is the party, as a rule, of the great capitalists, the great manufacturers and merchants, the bankers and well-to-do people • generally. Hence it is a strongly anti-Socialist party. By the Republican Party Mr Wilson'is political altruism has always been mistrusted and clisliked., being regarded as merely thinly-disguised Socialism. The North American Review states that the' issue . ; at ■stake at the next' Presidential election will be "'Americanism against Socialism," and sarcastically remarks:—

Mr Wilson, no longer represents, or speaks for the United States as differentiated from other nations, except in so far as doing so enables him technically to5 translate the voices which burn his ears from the air into the service of humanity. He has fors.xken Nationalism. and espoused. Internationalism. It is still doubtful whether the extreme "stand aloof" 'attitude' championed by Senator Lodge will receive the support of the Republican Party in, the country. More than one prominent member of the party, men such as ex-President Taft, Mr Hughes, and Mr Flihu Root, have shown by recent speeches and interviews that they recognise that, as Mr Root declared at the last Pan-Ameri-can Congress, "no nation can live for itself alone," and it may yet be that when Congress resumes a less selfish pdicy may be followed. Should, however, President Wilson be unable to swing round public, opinion to a support of the Treaty, should the Republican attitude of'strict Americanism be followed, then i,t may become a very open !questiqiv with Great Britain and France as to whether they too, in their turn, shall not leave the I smaller States of Europe, to work out their own salvation! - To expect France and Great Britain to bear alone the task of . European reconstruction is too much to expect. As to how America's selfishness, if per- : sisted in, may affect • her export trade, that is a question which time alone can solve. It seeme to us, however, quite probable .that the great nations which see themselves deserted •by wealthy. and powerful America—the only country which has financially profited by the war—may very well consider whether they shall t:ot institute rigidly .protective tariffs against American manufactures. America will not, in the Jong 7un, be allowed- to have everything her own Avay.