The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-04-30
PRES. WILSON'S
SPEECH At PARIS
Moved Adoption of Coven-
ant Of the League of
Nations
ALL CHANGES
ARE EXPLAINED
the Document - Manufactures Made
Optional Instead Of Obligatory-Sig
natures Added.

Optional Instead OF Obllgatory-Sig '
natures Added.
PARIS, April 80 ASSOCIATED Prcss) l
is the text of President y
Wilson's speech before the plenary
session of the peace conference Mon !
day: il
Mr.. President: When the text of the
covenant of the league of nations was
last laid before you | had the honor of
reading the covenant in extenso I viii
not detain you today to read the Gov
enant as it has now been altered, but
will merely take. the liberty of explain
ing 10 you some of the alterations that
have been made.
The report of the commission has
been circulated. You yourselves have in
hand the text of the covenant, and will |
no doubt have noticed that most of the |
changes that have been made are mere
| changes of phrascology, not changes of |
| substance, and that, besides that, most |
OF the changes are intended to clarity
the document, or, rather, to make ex-
|
| implicit in the document as ii was or
iginally presented to YOU But / shall
take the liberty Of calling your atten-
ton to the new features, such as they
are, some of them are considerable, the
rest trivial
The last paragraph of Article l. isl
new. In view Of the insertion of the
covenant in the peace treaty, specific
| provision as to the signatures of the
treaty, who would become members of
the league, and also as to neutral states
TO be invited to aecede to the covenant,
Were obviously necessary. The para.
graph also provides for the method by
! which neutral state may accedc to
the covenant.
The third paragraph of Article l. is
new, providing for the withdrawal Of
/, any member of the league on a notice
lgiyen of two years,
The second paragraph of Article ".
is new, providing for a possible in
crease in the council should other pow
ers be added to the league of nations
whose present accession is not antici-
pated.
The two last paragraphs Of Article
". are new, providing specifically for
one vote for each member of the league
before, and providing also for ono rep
! resentative of each member of the
= league.
: The first paragraph of Article Y. is
: new, expressly Incorporating the pro
vision as to the unanimity of voting
i which was at first taken for granted
i The second paragraph of Article VI
has had added to il that q majority OF
the assembly must approve the appoint
ment of the secretary general.
The first paragraph of Article VII
names Geneva as the seat of the league
: and is followed by a second paragraph
which gives the council power to estab
fish the seat of the league elsewhere
u should it subsequently deem it ncccssa
'e ry.
II The third paragraph of Article VII
,s is new, establishing equality of employ
ment of men and women, that is to say
by the league.
The second paragraph of Articl,
XIII. is new, inasmuch as it undertake
to give instances of disputes which ar
generally suitable for submission to m
bitration, Instances of what have lat
terly been called justiciable' qucs
se mons.
The eighth paragraph of. Article XIV
Sc is new. This is the amendment re
- garding domestic jurisdiction, tina
where the council finds that questio
arising out of an international disput
affects matters which are clearly unde
tho domestic jurisdiction of one or otl
CT of the parties it IS to report to tina
effect and make no recommendation.
The last paragraph of Article XIV
so is new, providing for an expulsion froi
Is, the league in certain extraordinary eli
er cumStances.
We Article XXI is new.
ed The second paragraph of Articl
s, XII inserts the words with regard t
z. manufactures, and "who arc willing |
. accept it. thus explicitly introducin
"a the principle that a mandate cannot |
forced upon nation unwilling to a
cept if.
Article MIL is a combination
I several former articles, and also CO..
I tains the following: A clause providiT
for the just treatment of aborigines;
I clause looking toward a prevention
the white slave traffic, and the traffic
opium, and a clause looking towal
\ progress in international preventic
and control of disease.
Article XXV. specifically mention
1 the Red Cross as one of the internatio
al organizations which are to come
/ their work with the work of the leagu
n Article XXNI permits the amen
ment of the covenant by a majority
IA the states composing the assembly, i
- stead of three fourths Of the state
III though it does not change the requir
II mcnt in that matter with regard to Il
II vote in the council.
II The second paragraph Of Artie
H XXVI. is also new and was added
II the request of the Brazilian delegatio
II in order to avoid certain constitution
II difficulties 1t permits any member
II the league to dissent from an amen
II ment the effect of such dissent beiI
H withdrawal from the league.
II And the annex is added, giving Il
Z II names of the signatories of the treat
y who become members, aud the nam
of the states invited to aceede 10 Il
/ covenant. These are all the changes,