Evening star., 1918-11-17
ROOSEVELT FAVORS
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
LIMITED TO ALLIES
Might Admit Germany and Russia
After Years of PrObaiOn---Dis-
cusses Americas Part.

as regards such a. league, ana We
should clearly understand that Dol.
Germany would be, as undesirable IN
such a league as the Germany and
Russia of the HohenZollerns and
Romanoffs. Bolshevism is just AZ
kaiserism. Until Germany and Rus
sia have proved by course OF con-
duct extending over years that they
are capable Of entering such league
in good faith, SO that We can count
upon their fulfilling their duties IN
it. it would be merely foolish to take
them in.
The league, therefore. would have
to be based on the combination among
the allies of the present war. together
with any peoples. ike the CseGno. enc,
are fully entitled to enter into sucn
a league If they desire to do SO. Each
nation should absolutely reserve 10
itself its right to establish its own
tariff and general economic policy
and absolutely ought to control such
vital questions as immigration ana
citizenship and the form of govern
ment it prefers. Then it would prop.
ably be best for certain spheres or
interest to be reserved to each ma
tion or a group of nations.
Sphere of Interest for q. s.
The northernmost portion of South
America and Mexico and Central
America, all Of them fronting on the
Panama canal, have special interest,"
to the United States-more interest,"
than they can have for any European
or Asiatic power. The general con-
duct of eastern Asiatic policy bears q
most close relationship to Japan. The
same thing is true as regards other ma
tions and certain of the peculiarly
African and European questions.
r. Svr 4,rfc nf What fhuA
reserved. which affects any two mem-
bers of the league or Affects ono
member of the league and outsiders
should be decided by some species OK
court, and all the people OF the league
should guarantee to use their whole
strength in enforcing the decision
This, of course. means that all the
free peoples must keep reasonably
prepared for defense and for helping
well-behaved nations against the ma
ton or hordes which represent despot-
ISM barbarism and anarchy.
Big Navy and Universal Training.
AS far as the United States is con-
cerned, believe we % should Keep i,t oo W
efficiency and have 1t second In size 70
that of Great Britain alone. ana We
should then have universal Obligatory
military training for all our youn9
men Tor perlOU Ols o6ys AiAAS sesS~
+! during some one year betwel the
ages Of nineteen and twentynfee
inclusive. This would not repreeens
militarism. but an antidote against
militarism.
II would not represent a great ex-
pense. On the contrary. it would mean
! to give to every citizen of our coun-
try an education which would MT MN
| to do his work as q citizen as no
other t,rpe of education could
There are some nations with wnien
there would not be the slightest dim
Guilty in going much further than
] this. The time has now come wnen
, II would be perfectly safe to enter
| into universal arbitration treaties
| with the British empire. for example,
| reserving such rights only as austria
liza and Canada themselves would re.
! serve inside the British empire: put
| there are a number of outside peo-
pIes with whom it would not be saie
to go much further than above out.
lined, If we made only this one kino
| of agreement We could keep II ana
we should make no agreement that
we would not and could not keep.
More essential than anything else ~
II for us to remember that in matters
Of this kind an ounce of practical per-
! formance is worth ton OF WINDY
rhetorical promises.
Copyright. 1918. the Kansas CITY star.)