The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-30
PROPOSED OF, NATIONS ATIACKED| BY SENATOR REED
 IN DINNER SPEECH
Theory Thousands of Years Old and Has Failed of Its Purpose in Successive Ages, Says Missouri
 Senator
Ry Associated Press

New York, December 29.-The theory of league of nations is no Inew discovery, but is thousands of years old, having appeared in various forms and failed of it's purpose in sue cessive ages, declared Senator James A. Reed of Missouri in an address at a dinner of the Society of Arts and Sciences here tonight.
 He predicted the plan would not stand the acid test of reason and experience' and in explaining what he believed was meant by a league of nations, said gen. erally the proposal embraced every sort of intellectual vagary and poeticsfancy
 Ut is referred to as a parliament of man and confederation of the world, ' he continued, which as I understand it is sort of international mutual ad- i, miration society with the Sermon on the Mount for a constitution and the apostolic creed for a guide. Tn that seraphic con gregation all men are to be good and all women fair, all thoughts holy, all songs inspired and gentle love with golden sceptre is to rule the human heart. The chief trouble with the vision is that it can only be realized in heaven. ATTACKS PROPOSED LEAGUE Senator Reed attacked the proposed league as surrender of the. rights for which the. American revolitionists fought and violation of the warning of the fathers of the republic against entang- ling alliances.
 The creation of the league, he asserted would mean the transfer to European governments of the powers of the Con- gress of the United States to declare war, maintain it's armies and navy, sup press revolutions and repel invasions.
 The interest of the United States, the Missouri senator declared, never could be the same as those of the European governments and the majority of the members of any league or international court would be named by those powers Every European monarch, he said, was related by blood or marriage to every other European monarch and therefore "questions which are vital to us must be submitted to a prejudiced tribunal"
 PRESERVED CIVILIZATION
 Senator Reed declared that for more than 100 years the United States had mot single European war, except trivial skirmish with Spain," and con tinued:
 
 tered the world war, our greatness en. abled us to speedily force a decision against the greatest military power ever created We preserved the civilization of Europe.
 Shall we substitute for this ancient and successful policy one which makes us party to every European quarrel, involves us in every world war. cona- pels us to conscript- our young men to dof service upon every sea and in every land at the dictation of the members of league of nations, whether composed of bolsheviki, Kings, Presidents or soviets?"
 A feature that stands in the way of a league of nations, he said, was how rep resentation would be allotted.
 Shall representation be in accordance with the populations of the nations ?" he asked "India has a population of 315,- 00o,000. If she is given the right of self determination. then India, China and Russia could outvote all of Europe and the United States