The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-08-08
JUDGE STOREY IS
LEAGUE ADVOCATE
IN STRONG LETTER
Prominent Boston Republic
an Tells Why Ratification
of Treaty Is Absolute
ly Essential


Storey, clipped from recent edition
of the New York Times, which 1 think
ould be of interest to the readers OF
your paper.
For the information of those who do
not know Judge Storey. 1 will say
that he is a republican, the senior mem
Der of a large law firm in Boston, and
at one time was president of the Amer
lean Bar association.
His letter is the clearest and most
logical argument for the ratification
of the treaty of peace. and l think every
man who desires to be well INFORMED
upon the subject should have an OPP
rortunity of reading the letter, and
hope you will be able to find space
for it in your paper. Yours very truly,
JNO. B. wEAKLEY.
To the Editor of the New York Times:
Amid the flood of oratory inspired in
large part by dislike of President Will
son and resentment at his methods. and
often on both sides purely sentimental,
there is danger that the underlying ext
gencies of the international situation
may not be forgotten. 1t is a situation,
not theory, which confronts us, and
the facts of the situation may be state
ed briefly and bluntly.
We went to war to make the world
safe for ourselves, not from any zeal
for democracy as such. The German
empire, with the war cry "Weitmacht
order Niedergang," undertook to make
itself ruler of the world. Had it won the
var France would have been dismem-
tered, England stripped of its fleet and
it's power broken, Holland and Belgium
added to Germany, the German colonies
restored and enormously enlarged so as
to give Germany the control of Africa,
and with its power extending from the
North sea to the Persian gulf Germany
would have had no world to conquer
save the United States. 1t was clear
from very early moment in the war
that in case the Allies could not win
without our aid we should be COM
PEELED to choose between going to their
assistance and fighting Germany with
their help or fighting Germany alone
with her power increased by what she
had taken from her European rivals
We must either fight this vast power
unprepared or else make up for years of
inaction by undertaking at great dis
advantage to create an army, a navy,
airplanes and all the essentials of mod
ern war. Forts would hardly help our
coast cities against the long range guns
of today, and to remain neutral was to
invite destruction Therefore we went
to war.
To save ourselves it was necessary to
conquer Germany. To keep what we
have won it is necessary to keep her
weak and to prevent her again estab-
fishing a powerful combination of ma
| tons 1t is quite possible that unless
proper measures are taken now she may
| in a decade dominate Russia and the
Balkan states again, and perhaps have
! the aid of Japan, a nation which we
| do our best to ALLEVIATE. France with
| half the population of Germany and
| aided only by England and the colonies
| of both could not long resist such a
combination.
| The only possible way of providing
| against such an event is to establish
| barriers which shall confine German
/ ambition. and to create combina ton
| of civilized nations whose united power
will be sufficient to prevent her renew
| ing the attempt which has just failed.
J Hence a new Polan", Czechoslovakia,
| and Jugoslavia have been created but
| it is clear that these infant states can
not stand unless they have for some
! years at least adequate support from
the great nations. 1t is not for their
| sake alone, but quite as much for ours,
that they were established and must be
maintained. They are our fortification
| against German aggressions on the
! eastern and southern fronts. 1t is
| therefore essential that the treaty
| " hich creates the new states should
also provide for supporting them, and
hence the provisions of the covenant
are a necessary part of the treaty
To enforce the provisions of the
| treaty and to create the ombination of
powerful states which shall stand as a
permanent barrier against German am
| bition and desire for revenge, the
league of nations is essential. Without
this power behind the provisions of the
treaty it will prove indeed scrap OF
paper"
The important consideration whicf
seems to have been entirely overlooked
is that the provisions establishing the
league of nations are essential to de-
fend this country. The are not, a.
represented, an attempt to engage u,
in self sacrificing effort to helr
ether nations, bat are necessary to save
US from future war with Germany.
If the league is to succeed is mus
be founded on mutual confidence in the
honesty and loyalty of all the m emb ers
a debate in the Senate in which the
opponents of the treaty in the heat Of
debate attack our recent allies. doub
their good faith and suggest possibili
| ties In WHICH tnSy may use the Treaty
to our disadvantage, will do much tt
breed i'll feeling between different ma
tions and will encourage those Ameri
| cans pro-Irish or pro-German, who
from sympathy with the country from
which they trace their decent rather
than with the country to which the,
owe allegiance, are anxious that the
treaty be not ratified.
If the attempt to defeat the treaty
succeeds we shall be left without allie:
and face to face with the necessity o.
preparing for our own defense-a prep
aration involving an expense which il
appalling and consequences to our PEG.
pie which are equally to be dreaded.
! The essential point is that the treaty
| subs tantially as written is as necessary
tc the defense of this country as wa!
the victory in the recent war. If it needs
amendment, that can be made by con
ference with our allies much more easil,
than by new negotiations with govern
ments more or less embittered by ou
speech and our actions.
| Peace now is demanded by every in
terest in the world Peace now and pro
lection against future war are de
manded by our people. No hostility t.
our President, no desire for partisan
success. no imaginary dangers conjure,
up in order to defeat the treaty will b
accepted as excuses for sacrificing tn
interest of the nation by refusing L
ratifiy it. MOORFIELD STOREY.