Life — May 19, 1921 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

MAY 19, 1921 “While there is Life there's Hope” Published by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY VOL. 77. No, 2011 London Offices, Rolls House, Breams Bldgs, London, E, C, 'HE world is not normal yet, but it seems heartily dis- posed to be as normal as it can. People who have meals continue to go to them, and for people who lack meals there is much effort to provide them. Several disastrous things that might have happened by this time have not happened. Great Britain is still working along with- out a general strike, though her coal strike is still unsettled and she is loaded up with unsolved problems, especially labor problems. But even in the throes of revolution, John Bull traditionally pre- fers to keep his shirt on, and at last ad- vices it was still tucked in at the waist line, The incursion of the French into Ger- many has not begun yet and may be averted. To that end helpful results are expected from the labors of Seerctary Hughes, including his final note disclosing to Germany that her proposals were un- satisfactory to the Allies, and advising her to come across at once with definite and adequate offers. The note put these States clearly in the line-up of the Allies, where they belong. Mr. Hughes scems to be going strong and gives increasing satisfaction to most observers. One thinks of him with hope- ful expectations and with gratitude that he is where he is. The Senate is at peace with Germany in so far as its facilities can att to it. It has passed a resolution to say that the war is over. At this writing the House has not dealt with it, but will pass it, no doubt, in due time if the President wants it to be passed. How much influence the Senate has with the House and how much it has with President Harding has 17 West Thirty-first Street, New York not been disclosed yet. A good many peo- ple would like to know, but they must be patient. There is no hurry. Perhaps the peace resolution will wait until the repa- rations difficulty has been settled. Perhaps it will wait until there is more agreement as to what the resolution accomplishes. It repeals, as far as the Senate is concerned, the act of Congress by which we recog- nized a state of war. The correspondents say it is agreeable both to President Hard- ing and Secretary Hughes. aie F the Knox resolution passes, what will the next step be? People wonder about that. Mr. Harding is on record as think- ing it wise to accept as much as possible of the Treaty of Versailles, instead of mak- ing a new treaty on our own account. Mr. Lodge does not favor that idea. He seems to think that ét is not practicable. He said in the Senate that in order to suit us the treaty would have to have seventy-two amendments, but that, of course, would depend on whether the amended treaty would suit Mr. Lodge, or Mr. Hughes, or Mr. Harding, or whom. Mr. Hughes has not said anything about the Versailles Treaty yet. Mr, Hughes works. He does not talk much for publication, except in official documents, though one reads that he talks cheerfully and willingly to corres- pondents, telling them what is going on and what they must be prepared for, but largely in confidence. We cannot do much more than to sit by and leave our constituted authorities to work out these difficult details accord- ing to the light that they get. It is yet not clear in the matter of the Treaty who our constituted authority is. We have been used to think it was the President, but Mr. Lodge offers suggestions with so much confidence that some people think we have been mistaken about that and that the treaty-making power is really the chair- man of the Forcign Relations Committee of the Senate. We shall have to find out about that, and the way we shall find out is by waiting to see what happens. It may turn out that the President and the chair- man of that committee and the Sccretary of State see with a single eye and are Virtually one authority. If so, it will be serene going. If not so, things of course are liable to be mussed up a little. We are all from Missouri in these days—all wait- ing to be shown and not more impatient than we should be. ECRETARY MELLON, that kind gen- tleman from Pittsburgh, has made suggestions about taxation which have been received, so far as we notice, with general hospitality, He would have made still more welcome suggestions on that subject if he had dared. We credit him with entire benevolence towards the taxpayers. He would like to let them off much easier than he does, but he cannot because he has such a lot of money to raise. He thinks he has entirely too much to raise. It is going to take five billions of dollars to satisfy our federal government's fiscal appetite. That means a contribution of $250 per family, and Mr Mellon thinks that is shocking. He wants us to spend less money for governmental purposes. Meanwhile he plans to raise the huge sum that we do still require as kindly as possible. He proposes to kill off the ex- cess profits tax and to reduce the surtax on incomes, and some so-called “ nuisance taxes” on articles of folly like soda water, comicbooks.com