The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-10-03

sary make our utmost sacrifice TO maintain i
its provisions.
We are approaching the time in the Discus
sions of the senate where 1t will be deter |
mined what going to say about il, and /,
am here making Cslis public appeal to you /
and through you to gentlemen who have
favored such utterances as / have read 70
you, not TO take a second thought in the
matter, and realize that what they after
Is already accomplished The United States
cannot be drawn into anything it doesn't wish
to be drawn into, but the United States ought
not to put itself in the position Of saying
you need not expect of us that we assume
the same moral obligations that you assume.
You need not expect of that will re-
spect and preserve the territorial integrity and
political Independence Of other nations.
And let me remove another misapprehen-
sion about that clause, my fellow citizens. Al
most every time it is quoted the words 'ex-
ternal aggression are left out. There was
not member of that conference with whom
conferred who wanted TO put the least
straint upon the right of self-determination
by any portion of the human family, who
wished to put the slightest obstacle in the
way of throwing off the yoke of any gov
eminent, If that yoke should become intoler-
able This does not guarantee any govern
ment against an attempt on the part OF IT'S
subjects to throw off its authority. The
United States could not keep its countenance
and make a promise like that, because it be-
gan by doing that very thing. The glory OF
the United States 10 that when we were a
little body of 3,000,0 600 people strung along the
Atlantic coast, threw off the power of a
great empire because it was not a power
chosen consented to by ourselves. We hold
to that principle. We never will guarantee
any government against the exercise of that
right. No suggestion made in the con-
ference that should. We merely ourselves
promise to respect the territorial integrity and
existing political Independence of the other
members of the league and to assist in pre-
serving against external aggression II we
do not do that the tap root of war is still
sunk deep into the fertile soil of the human
family. l for cutting the tap root off.
am for making insurance against war, and
/ prudent enough TO take 10 per cent
insurance If | cannot get any more. would
be very pleased to get rs per cent insurance.
/ would be delighted to get so per cent. And
here, in conscience l believe we are getting
SO per cent. No body of men can give you
absolutely 100 per cent insurance against war
any more than they could give you 100 per
cent insurance against losing your temper.
sions
Time to "CooI on"
But notice what this covenant does 1t
provides nine months a minimum for the
cooling off of human passions. 1t is pretty
hard to be crazy mad for nine months. If you
stay crazy mad, crazy anything else, for
nine months, it will be wise to segregate you
from your fellow citizens. And the heart Of
this covenant to which very few opponents
have ventured to draw attention is this That
every great fighting nation in the world en-
cages never to go to without first hay-
ing done one the other of two things
without having e1tner submitted the pOlnL
in controversy to arbitration, in which case
it promises absolutely to abide by the verdict,
or having submitted it to the council of the
league of nations, not for decision, but for a
discussion, agreeing they will lay all the docu-
ments and all the pertinent facts before the
council, agreeing that the council shall pub
lish the documents and the facts to man
kind. that it will give six months to the
counsel for consideration of the matter,
that even If it does not accept the result it
won't go to for three months after the
| - L..., ,,s,,
months in which to accomplish all the gentle
work of mediation, all the work OF dis
cussion, all the quoting work of full COM
prehension of what the result of bringing the
matter to the issue of war would be upon
the nations Immediately concerned and upon
the nations of the world.
And in article XII, which follows article
x, it is made the right of any member of
the league to call attention to anything any
where which is likely to affect the peace of the
world the good understanding between ma
tions upon which the peace of the world de-
ponds. So that, as the storm begins to gather,
you call the attention of the world to
| it and the cleansing, purifying cooling pro-
cess of public opinion will at once begin to
| operate.
Refers to ShantunR.
| When Shantung province. or a very inn
portant part of it, or kaio Chau bay, was
| ceded by China to Germany in March, 1890.
the government Of the United States uttered
| not a single protest. One of the most en-
/ lightened and humane that has ever sat
| in the executive chair was President William
/ Mckinley; one of the ablest secretaries of
| state in the long list of distinguished men
/ who have occupied that office was associated
| with him secretary of state, the Honorable
John Hay. They made not single intimaton
| of protest. Why2 Because under interna-
/ tional law as it and it is until this
| covenant is adopted, it would have been a
| hostile act for them to do any such thing, un-
less they could show that the material or
| political interests of the United States were
| affected. so
which they insisted upon was that Germany
/ should not close Shantung, province to the
lift little finger to help China. They could
only try to help the trade of the United
| States.
Immediately after that concession. Chins
! made similar concessions to England, to Rus
STA and France. Again to protest only in
tsstence that the door should be kept open
to our goods-not to our moral ideas, not te
| our sympathy with China, not to our sense
| of right violated, but to our merchandise You
| don't hear anything about the concessions Out
| here to Great Britain or France, because I'M
happily neither they nor the concession Iss Z
/ Germany were unprecedented. Poor China hao
done the, like not once, but many times be
| fore.
Port Arthur Cited.
What happened after? In the treaty be
tween Japan and Russia, after the Japanese
tor, in Portsmouth, N. H.. Port Arthur
the Chinese territory, ceded to Russia, was
transferred to Japan. Here were our owT
people sitting about, here our own gov
eminent that had invited these gentlemen tc
sit at Portsmouth, did they object to Port
Arthur being handed over--not handed back Il
China but handed over to Japan 1 am MOI
now going to stop, my fellow citizens, to dis
cuss the Shantung provision in all its as
poets, but what I want to call your attention
to is that just as soon as this covenant L
signed, rather ratified, every nation in tbs
world will have the right to speak out fol
China. (Applause.)
1 want to say very frankly and ough
to add that representatives of these grea
nations themselves, that Great Britain
| France and the other powers which hav,
insisted upon similar concessions in CHM
| will be put in a position where the!
will have to reconsider. This is the
only way to serve and redeem China. Unless
it be you want to start a war for the pur
pose. At the beginning of the war, during
the war. Great Britain and France engaged
by solemn treaty with Japan, that if she
would come in the and continue in thu
war. she could have, provided she in the mean
time took it by force of arms, what Germany hat
in China. Those treaties already in force
they are not waiting for ratification. Franc
and England cannot withdraw from those obi
| eyations and will serve China on