The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-03-20
LOWELL TAKES
STAND FOR A -
NATION, LEAGUE
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The Covenant is very defective in
its drafting. In places it is so OBJ
scure that the meaning is often in
accurately EXPRESSED and sometimes
doubtful It is easily misunderstood
and has in fact been widely mis-
understood. To give a single ex-
ample Of what must be defective
drafting, Article XVI provides that
If any country resorts to war, in dis
regard TO it's Covenant. the members
of the League shall Immediately pre-
vent all financial commercial and
nationals chat is, the citizens) Of the
Covenant breaking state anu the ma
tionals of any other state. whether
a member of the, League or not: 1T
is not difficult for members Of the
League to prevent their own citizens
from trading with the citizens of the
offending country, but, how about the
citizens OF other countries not men,
bers of the League? No doubt the
trainers of this clause had in mind
q blockade; but what If the offenders
land frontiers; border upon countries
not members of the League ?Suppose,
for example, that the new state Of
Poland should, contrarysto her Cove
nant, attack Czecho.Slovakia. 440w
are the laagued nations to prevent
the Poles from trading withethe Rus
slams and Germans on the East and
West? Apparently something here is
wrong. Tx
THE meaning OF the Covenant
should be made perfectly certain. and
we may assume that every effort will
be made to effect this, because when
people know what they intend and
want the whole world to know what
they intend, they are naturally will
ing to make their meaning clear.
Let us remember that in it's pre-
sent shape the Covenant is intended
only as draft, subject to- correction;
for if it were regarded as finished
and interchangeable, it would not have
been given ont until submitted for
ratification. 1t is defective as is
all unfinished cg'1laticu that em-
bodies much cOmpICm "a. For the
first time we have an experiment in
open diplomacy, the public being adj
mitted to inspect the process before
it is completed. 10 L..,t. =,
ct is a little late in the day for Oh.
pOnents of the Covenant OF Paris to
discover that it's treaty Obligations
are lunconstitutonal.N and hence that
all the foregoing treaties are null and
void. This is particularly true OF
those Senators who voted for many
of these treaties. The fact is that
treaties touching any of these mat
ters are not unconstitutional, because
they do not effect the powers vested
in Congress by the Constitution.
They affect the good faith Of the ma
ton. and so long as they remain in
force they are the law of the land.
But Congress does not thereby lOse
it's power. If it chooses to pass an
act violating their provisions the act.
though immoral and a breach OF
faith, lis not illegal or/void Of effect.
Some opponents of the Covenant
suggest that the Unittd States should
be- at the head Of a League to pre-
serve order and maintain peace in
this hemisphere, and that a European
League of Nations should take charge
OF troubles of preventing war 1t
is merely putting things back into
the condition that they were in be.
fore Germany began this terrific con-
flictt, II we are willing to help re-
move from mankind the fearful
scourge of war, we must play orr
mart in removing it. wherever it may
exist.
We Should Not Join?
"Other opponents suggest that we
should not. formally join a League,
but can take part in future Euro
mean war if needed, as we did this
time, Let the nations over there
fight among themselves, and when
we are drawn in, we will fight too.
In this war I'VE got off very lightly
in comparison with the European 9el,
ligerents. There are in America
only a hundred thousand mothers
who lost their sons, and perhaps
twice as many of our best young men
wounded, many Of them manned and
sufferers for life.' There are DESC
late widows and orphans: Why not
let it happen again. with perhaps Ten
times as many, casualties? oh, yes
why not? Is not this better than
irving to prevent war? Besides,
some country may be devastated, as
Belgium and parts Of France were,
without our being drawn in; and then
we may make money by the trade in
munitions and food stuffs.>Why not?
Is not this better than preventing
war?
This Covenant is not perfect, It
is a draft published for criticism and
will receive plenty of it, and through
criticism some Improvement also. But
even when perfected, it will not be
perfect. Nothing human is perfect
still more, it will not satisfy every
body. In the nature OF things 1t is
an attempt to harmonic the views
of many nations ana of many people
within each nation. 1t is compro'
mise between these views, and com.
nromise is the very life blood Of all
legislation, where the unsatlsfactory
and the evil if> you will, must be
taken with, the good and for the sake
OF the greater good. The Covenan,
Is imperfect and poorly drawn. but. II
is framed on the right lines. The
substance of the plan, the principles
on which 1t is founded ar correct and
should he accepted and improved.
a Opposition Expected.
mo great advance, no great ster