The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-13
COVENANT ARTICLE x.
Suggested Reservation to Preserve
Representative Government.

To THE EprToR OF THE SUN--stry Not
only is the subject matter of the recent
speech of Senator Walsh of Massachu-
sets interesting, but also the fact that
he liz a Democrat. 1t is a complete
REPUTATION of the editorial articles on
Republican partisanship which have SO
constantly appeared In the Evening Poet.
A Senator liz elected (and under his
oath Is bound TO do SOY to uphold the
Constitution of the United States first |;
not TO be Democrat and a supporter Of
President Wilson nor to be a Republic
can and oppose President Wilson. The
facts show that the Republican Senators
from the EXTREMIST to the mild reserva-
ZIONIST are more American. because they
have used their own Individual judy
ment while most of the Democrats have
accepted unqualifedly the opinion of
their leader.
1t was this which made Senator Walsh
stand non-partisan and as an American.
The master mind" who conceived and
is largely responsible for Article X
should have known that the "Constitu-
ton and the laws under II are the SUI
preme law of the land" and that 1t can
not be made pull and void by q moral
obligation.
Let me illustrate. this by a personal
application, as II Is more convincing
than many columns of theory and argu-
ments. In the Fifth New Jersey district
last fall we elected as our Represen-
tative to Congress gentleman Of un-
doubted loyalty, of unimpeachable integ-
rity. he being a man Of unusual business
and political experience. We relied on
him to act for us, to use his best judg-
ment In all those matters which are
commonly known as the powers of Con-
gress, namely: Taxation, Declaration of
War, Maintaining the Army and Navy,
&c. Now comes this Article X. by
which the decision of our one repre-
sentative in the council takes away from
"a moral obligation" the rights conferred
upon him under the Constitution by
and according to that theory he can no
longer represent US, but is bound to give
up his own Independent judgment for
something not known to our form of
government, this moral obligation"
Granted that an individual may be bound
by his own Interpretation Of a moral
obligation. how can there be moral OBJ
legation superior to written document
without changing that document and
giving it a new; meaning. which can only
be done by the method of the Constitu-
ton itself?
My study OF the history OF the United
States, of the Constitution Of the United
States, the treaty league, leads me to
the inevitable conclusion, IL my premises
are correct, that we owe Il 20 ourselves
and to the world to make this so clear
that we can never be charged with dis
honorable conduct IL we enter the
league, and so to ratify that our posi-
/ ton may be SO plainly stated that we
may avoid all MISUNDERSTANDING in the
future. Therefore l would suggest this
simple reservation in regard to Ar
ticle X.
That thu decisions of the council
even when assented to by our represen-
tative in the council. is not legally or
morally binding on the Government OF
the United States until such decisions
are acted upon by the Congress OF the
United States, acting under the powers
OF Congress as found in the written
document, the Constitution of the United
| States; that the veto of any such de-
csion is not a violation either legally OF
morally of any obligation entered into
by the United States in ratifying this
treaty or being a member of the league.
l. III. B.
| PLAINFRLD, ". J., October II.