Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-03-19
SENATOR REED SEES
ONLY 0L|GARCHY IN
LEAG(JE Of NATIONS
Legislators, However, Cheer for
Wilson and Tell Speaker
He's Wrong.

JeTfe&SOn City, Mo-, March lS.-AI
what he termed school on the league
of nations proposal. United States Sena-
tor James A. Reed, of Missouri, today
presented his views at joint meeting
of the legislature.
In opening his argument against the
league constitution as at present drawn,
Senator Reed asked how many legisla-
tors had read the constitution Of the
league. He estimated that about one in
six held up hands.
Customary" ''worse than autocracy''
and British plot" were some of the ex-
pressions used by him in characterizing
the league constitution which he de-
clared. with the exception of slight mod
ifications, was British document
Cheers for Wilson.
At one point Senator Reed was inter
rupted by cheers for President Wilson.
II am glad to hear cheers for him.
Senator Reed resumed, "but the presi-
dent is wrong"
Cries Of "No, you're wrong again
interrupted.
The league constitution is the "most
strangely constructed document ever put
together. Senator Reed declared, and
continued:
Great Britain laid this plot, / un-
hestatingly charge it. If she can make
our soldiers fight her fights, why
shouldn't she want it,"
Has No Remedy; Is Pacifist.
He said he had been asked what his
remedy was, and declared he did not
have to answer that question. He com
pared himself to physician, saying one
serum might kill, but he would not be
duty-bound to give the cure for it.
Il have no remedy for war;" he de-
clared when you get so you won't
fight to defend your homes there will be
no more war;"
He urged complete disarmament and
dismemberment of Germany. and closed
with an impassioned plea to preserve
mot the flag of the bolshevists, not an
international fyag, but. by the living
God our flag-the American flag"
Relterating contentious that the
league would abrogate the Monroe doc
trine. violate the American constitutions
create super government of the world
and force the United States into world
wide difficulties and policing obligations
Senator Reed challenged assertions of
its advocates that the leagues DEGREES
and powers would be merely advisory
He insisted that its action would be
mandatory and involve command of the
world
IF. however" he argued, st is CON
tended that the obligation is morally
binding. then indeed we are worse off
because the United States will keep
its moral obligations, whereas some
other nations might not
Declaring that the tentative conStitu-
ton was of British origin, Senator Reed
asserted that America would be directly
entangled in European alliances.
Attacking the executive council feat
ure of the plan. the senator said:
I'VE thus create an oligarchy clothed
with more arbitrary powers than were
ever welded by any despot on Garth
Here is tribunal of five men. without
any limitations whatsoever upon their
against whose decision. once
rendered, there is no appeal save to
armed forces. IF this be not creation
of the very command Of the world, then
the language of agreements cannot
create powers
Citing questions which he said would
be brot before the league, Senator Reed
said that among them might be grant
by Mexico of land to Japan, or sale
by Colombia of land to some foreign
power which could erect a fortress to
command the Panama canal.
The disarmament provisions OF the
league charter, the Missouri senate:
asserted. would give the executive coun-
Gil absolute power to limit American
9 armament, he added:
1--WE may be beleaghered by enemies
All the enemies of destruction may be
gathering about us. Yet. unless we can
gain the consent of the five masters of
the world (thc executive councD we
must remain unprepared and meet our
fate with naked hands"