The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-08-12
LEAGUE OF WAR
NOT OF PEACE
LODGE INSISTS
Senator Unable to Accept Fea-
lures of Covenant
ENDS MONROE DOCTRINE
People of United States Warned Not
to Palter With Their
independence
ENDS MONROE DOCTRINE

Washington, Aug. 12-Describing
the League of Nations as 'deformed
experiment upon noble purpose"
Senate. Lodge OF Massachusetts,
Chairman o. the Foreign Relations
Committee and Republican leader of
the Senate. declared in . Senate
speech today that there were features
lo the leagua covenant which ''as an
American no never could accep;.
Creating, not a league of peace but
an alliance embracing many "provis-
ions for war" the covenant in its
present form, he asserted, would kill
| the Monroe Doctrine. nullify any pos
Isiblity of withdrawal from member
ship. impair the sovereign power OF
deciding domestic questions, and
plung the United States into every
controversy and conflict on the face
Ic.. th globe.
Let us beware" he said, how we
Dalter with our independence. We
have not reached the great position.
from which we were able to come
down into the field of battle and help
save the world from tyranny, by be-
ing guided by others. Our vast power
has all been built up and gathered
together by ourselves alone.
I'VE forced our way upward from
the days Of the Revolution, through a
world often hostile and always in diff
ferent. We owe debt to anyone ex-
cept to France in our revolution and
those policies and those rights on
which our power has been founded
should never be lessened or weaken
ed. It will be no service to the world
to do so and it will be intolerable in
Jury to the United States. We Will
do our share. We are ready and anx-
ious to help in all ways to preserve
the worlds peace. But we can do it
best, by not Gripping ourselves.
Il am as anxious as any human be-
ing can be to have the United States
render every possible service to the
civilization and the peace OF man
kind. but | am certain we can do it
hest by not putting ourselves in lead
ing strings or subjecting our policies
and our sovereignty to other nations.
II will go as far as anyone in world
service, but the first step to world
service is the maintenance of the
United States You may call me sell
fish, if you will, conservative or re-
dictionary. but an American | was
born, an American | have remained
all my life.
Il can never be anything else but
an American. and | must think of the
United States first, and when | think
of the United States first in an ar
rangement like this am thinking OF
what is best for the world, for if the
United States fails the best hopes of
mankind fail with it. have never
had but one allegiance can not
divide it now.
'sThe United States is the worlds
lest hope, but if you fetter her in the
interests and quarrels of other ma
tions, if you tangle her In the in
trigues of Europe, you will destroy
her power for good and endanger her
very existence.
1--WE are told that we shall break
the heart of the world if we do not
take this league just as it stands.
fear that the hearts of the vast ma
jority of mankind would beat on
strongly and steadily and without any
quickening if the league were to per-
ish altogether. If it should be eff
fectively and beneficiently changed
the people who will lie awake in sor-
row for a single night could be easily
gathered in one not very large room
but those who would draw long
breath of relief would reach to mil
lions.
ideals have been thrust upon us as
an argument for the league until the
healthy mind which rejects cant re-
volts from them. Are ideals confined
to this deformed experiment upon a
noble purpose tainted as it is with
bargains and tide to peace treaty
which might have been disposed of
long ago to the great benefit of the
world IL it had not been compelled to
carry this rider on its back?
''No doubt many excellent and pa
triotic people see a coming fulfillment
OF noble ideals in the words League
of Peace We all respect and share
these aspirations and desires, but
some of us see no hope, but rather de-
feat, for them in this murky coven-
ant. For we, too, have our ideals,
even if we differ from K those who
have tried to establish monopoly of
idealism Our first ideal is our coun-
try. We would have our country
strong to resist peril from the
West, as she has flung back the Ger
man menace from the East. We
would not have our politics distract
,ed and embittered by the dissensions
OF other lands.
$50 far as the question of isolation
goes, it is impossible to isolate the
United States. We may set aside all
this empty talk about the isolation.
Nobody expects to isolate the United
States or to make II hermit Ma
tion. which is a sheer absurdity. But
there is wide difference between
taking suitable part and bearing a
due responsibility in world affairs