Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-02
LEAGUE WAR
TRUST SAYS
SENJOHNSON
Gigantic Combination to
Protect Power-Peo-
pie Given No Voice.

the league of nations as a COM
bination of armed powers "in a
gigantic war trust" Senator John
son of California, told the senate
| that the Paris conference dared
not amend the league covenant so
that the declaration of future war
would be decided not by established
rulers, but by a popular vote of
the peoples concerned.
1T is not a league of nations to
prevent war" he asserted. I'm
its very creation, it has been
stripped of every idealistic purpose
it ever had. 1t contains within
itself the terms of many wars, and
worse than that, it rivets, as in
the Shantung decision, the chains
of tyranny upon millions of peo-
pie and cements for all time unjust
and wicked annexations. 1t is
great world economic trust, where
in few men, sitting in secret, may
control the economic destinies of
the peoples. 1t is not a league of
peoples nor does it anywhere con-
Germ itself with peoples.
~League to Protect Power"
Instead Of coming closer to
those most concerned, the men and
women for whom governments
should exist, the league goes a step
further from them. The repre-
sentatives of ruling powers sit far
away in secret. If those who wrote
this document really wanted to pre-
vent war, they would have permit
ted the men and women who must
bear the burdens of war, to deter
mine by their votes whether or not
there should be war.
The answer is this is not
league to promote peace, but to
protect power. Those who advocate
it dare not amend it so that the
issue of war shall be made by the
men and women who must fight
and die for it,"
Urging adoption of his resoIu-
tion asking the state department
for the full text of the peace treaty
Senator Johnson read into the rec
ord the oft-quoted utterances of
President Wilson regarding open
open covenants openly arrived
at" continued the senator, ARE now
a byeword and a joke. Their men
tion brings but cynical smile.
When you remember that Eng
land frankly says her treaties are
yet in existence, her offensive and
defensive alliance with Japan yet
controlling, and then you observe
the United States making some
sort of engagement, the knowledge
of which for the present we are
denied, you will have some concep-
tion of what the league of nations
is intended to do"
Partnership With Bankrupts.
The revised covenant, Mr.. John |
son continued, far from preserving |
the Monroe doctrine, would mean |
it's destruction. He declared the !
league would be a partnership be-
tween the worlds one great "going |
and bankrupt nations, |
and charged that government prop |
aganda was discrediting league |
By the Paris negotia-
tons, he said, the United States
has made many powerful enemies.
''It is rare, indeed" he asserted,
''that any speech is made in favor /
Of the league which does not Bit
terly condemn Americans who |
think of their country first For
the first time in our history, the
Jealous guardian of our own, the
love of our traditions, and our in
the passion for our land
and our liberty have become veEial
sins.
I'VE have learned in the last two
years a new thing in our national
life, national propaganda The
paid for by the peo-
pie themselves, is devoted to de-
ceiving the people, and to glorify-
ing those who by a peoples grace
have been raised to high position.
This perverting process has been
lne of the powerful agencies for
people from knowing
he possibilities Of the league of
nations.
ION the 11th of November. Amer
ca, as no nation on earth ever had
been before, was respected, re-
fered and beloved. After six
months of meddling and muddling
n European and Asiatio contro-
yersies and contests over territory,
he end of the peace conference
inds Italy detesting us, France Sc
,fetly despising US, England using
Is, and Japan bluffing us.
'"They are all willing and aRE-
Gus that we should have our
eague of nations, and willing and
lnxious because of the same spirit.
which has ruled them IN the psaosI i