New-York tribune., 1918-12-22

Senator Lodge said no definite plan mas
vet been put forth that would not
cause indefinite controversy. 1t was
an effort to reach the millennium, he
said and must be approached carefully
1t would be difficult to transform as
pirations for complete world peace into
the hard. dry and exact formulas OF
laws and treaties.
"And yet it is essential," he said,
that before we can pass upon league
of nations we must have the most pre-
else definitions of what is intended. A
league Of nations is not n bill which
can pass by title. A league is an agree
ment. We must know what we are to
agree to, and no one has yet thought
it worth while to tell the people of the
United States what they are to agree
to when a league Of nations is formed.
IF, however, there is to be q league Of
nations in order to enforce peace, one
thing Is clear. 1t must be either a
mere assemblage of words, an expo
sition Of vague ideals and encouraging
hopes, or it must be practical system.
If such league is to be practical and
unless it has authority to issue DEGREES
and force to sustain them. 1t is at this
point that the questions Of great ma
mcnt arise"
He then raised the following ques
tons:
"What nations are to be members of
the league?
"Is Germany to be one of the men,
bers? If so, when?
GLOW are these nations thus formed
in a league to vote in determining the
operations Of the league?
%I,o avail ,,o+;oos l,c,,o
equal vote with the great nations in
the league, a vote equal to that of the
United States or England or France? :?
Small nations might, if given an
equal vote, determine the action of the
league, he said, and could order the
international force behind it about as
they pleased.
The question of whether voting
rover in the league should be deter
mined by population was also raised.
"If the nations are to vote in the
league on democratic basis" he said,
"then their voting power must be de-
termined by population"
Under such a system, he said, China
would have four times the vote of the
United States, and the possession of
India would give England three times
as many votes as the United States and
ten times those of France
Cali the plans" continued the Sem
ator, (Which have ben put forward ten
tatively for league Of nations, so far
as | know, involve the creation Of a
court. We must remember that we
have carried voluntary arbitration as
far as it can practically go. Assuming
that there is distinction between JUS
ticiable and -justiciable questions,
who is to decide whether question
is justiciable or not? Is it to be done
by the league, voting in some manner
hitherto underlined, or is each nation to
decide for itself whether question
affecting it's own interest is or is not
justiciable ?"
He then raised the question as to
whether, if Denmark had sold the
Virgin Islands to Germany. it would
have been a justiciabls question, or
whether the declaration of the United
States in regard to no other nation
establishing a naval base in Magdalena
Bay would be justiciable question.
Could league of nations compel it's
submission? If it could. he said it
would deny to nations the right hither-
to exercised by every sogerign nation
to determine whether a question was
vital to their independence and safety
This he considered Grave sten