Evening star., 1915-06-18
TAFT HEADS LEAGUE
T0ENFORCE PEACE
Former President Elected Per.
manent Head of American
Branch of Society.
PLANS TO PREVENT WAR
BY JOINT POLICE POWER
Proposal Provides for International
Courts of Justice and Media
ton Commissions.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, June 1S.-
Within historic Independence Hall yes
terday-the anniversary of the battle
of Bunker Hill-there was formed an
organization whose object it will be to
promote the creation of league of
nations with a view to preventing
wars or, at least, to lessen the possi-
bilties of armed conflicts. The name
adopted by the organization. after
some debate. was League to Enforce
Peace, American Branch"
Former President Taft, who presided
over the conference for a part Of the
time. was elected permanent president
and. in addition. long list of repre-
sentative American citizens was named
as permanent vice presidents. A per-
manent executive committee was Sc
lected with instructions to take all
measures necessary to promote the OBJ
jects Of the league.
In moving the adoption of the report
of the committee on resolutions which
embodied the objects of the league.
which declares, I'VE believe and SOL
emnly urge that the time has come to
devise and to create a working union
of sovereign nations to esta ablish peace
among themselves and to guarantee IT
by all known and available sanctions
1T their command, to the end that civ
ilization may be conserved, and the
progress of mankind in comfort, en-
lightenment and happiness may con-
tinue,' the former President OF the
out of this historic building may come
message that shall again help the
world"
Nof p,,ro Kn1
The conference was not an assem-
blage of what one participant termed
pure peace" men, but gathering of
those who for the most part believed
in trying to bring about peace even
though they had to use force to do 1t.
There was an animated discussion
over the adoption of the name, and
the only divisions that occurred on
fore the conference were on the chang
ing of the title of the organization and
to eliminate from the report of the
resolutions committee that paragraph
which bound members of the league Of
nations to use both their economic and
military forces against any one of their
number that goes to war against an
other member before the questions at
issue are submitted to the tribunals
provided for by the league
AS Mr.. Taft had to leave the city
early, he called Prof. John Bassett
Moore, Columbia University, to the
chair, and before leaving gave hearty
Endorsement to the report.
as well as thinking something" Mr..
Taft said. Il believe in praying for
peace, and I also believe in doing some
thing to support that prayer"
IF the report of the committee meas
ures the high water mark of it's hopes
I
question whether it expresses the Wis
dom of experienced statesmen said
Representative David J. Lewis Of Mary
land. who followed Mr.. Taft. His prin-
cipal objection to the report was that
it did not prescribe a rule of conduct
for nations. He thought the principles
of the Constitution of the United States
should be embodied in the proposed
plan Of the league of nations
Called Too Militaristic.
Mr.. Berger. who. with Mr.. Kirchwey.
voted against the adoption of the re-
port. characterized the report as too
militaristic." you are using too much
force" he said. You want more mill
tarism to fight militarism. We don't
want to be the worlds sheriff or the
worlds policeman. To apply your plan
it would require a bigger army and
navy and it would have the United
States in trouble all the time. There
is too much Teddy Rooseveltism in it."
There were a half dozen brief speech
es in favor of the report, which pro-
vides for international courts Of JUS
tice. John Wanamaker did not think
the report went far enough. He had
hoped the conference would send out
message to the warning nations that
would make them pause and think. He
could not help but favor the report,
he added. but felt that it. standing
alone without any further action, would
be laughed at by those on the other
side of the Atlantic.
George w. Kirchwey, professor Of
law. Columbia University, suggested
that the name be changed to League
TO Establi and Maintain Peace" The
proposed elimination of the word
force" found supporters, but it was
defeated after a vigorous speech by
A. Lawrence Lowell, president of Har-
ward University and chairman of the
resolutions committee.
we are here to enforce peace. other
wise we have no business here at all"
he declared, with spirit. when you
fight a forest fire you tight it with
backfre- We have here a means to
discourage war, and that means is the
threat to use force"
After this speech the report Of the
committee was adopted.
I