The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-07-31


nm organic constitution Of genera
powers and purposes rather than !
rigid instrument Of strictly specific,
and limited funttionS.
The operation Of this treaty alons
the liberal lines Indicated requires AN,
can be secured by the hearty ant
active participation Of the progressiv,
nations and democratic groups within
such nations This activity alone car
procure most readily the still greater
justice which the treaty leaves to b,
desired.
To ratify the treaty with rcserva-
tions would, in case any other power
objected to such limitations, either
wreck the treaty and work of the
Peace Conference or exclude the
United States from participation in
its operation. Reservations on the
Covenant would seem automatically
TO exclude the United States from the
League Cart I.). 1t cannot be denied
that the main object Of some Of those
demanding reservations is to destroy
or emasculate the Covenant. As res
ervations are the method Of the foes of
the League of Nations, the ends TO be
attained by constructive and demo-
cratic reservations will be incompar-
ably better served il the treaty is i'm
mediately ratified with the determin-
alton Of its liberal supporters to work
for its progressive operation and de-
velopment. To do otherwise cndan-
gers the momentous progress already
achieved and the great possibilities of
further advance contained in the
treaty. To this work Of ratification
and just and democratic operation, the
League of Free Nations Association
should pledge its utmost effort.
For Unreserved Rejection
The argument against the adoption
Of the present League Of Nations Cow
ent is the same as the argument
against the ratification of the Peace
Treaty. 1t concerns itself with the
spirit and intention of the document
as whole, rather than with the letter
or detail Of its various provisions.
There may be clauses in the Peace
Treaty which would improve certain
existing situations; there may be
clauses which correct errors of his
tory, and establish impartial justice.
No sum of such details, however,
can ever Offset the fact that the peace
as a whole is imperialistic and iniqu-
itous, that it denies every one Of our
pledges to Germany, and that it sane
tions every evil Of territorial and
economic aggrandizement from which
we had hoped to guard the world. To
play upon its virtues and to accept it
as the best that we could get would
be to subscribe to the methods of the
old imperialistic statescraft. Our ma
tional honor is involved, and the hon
orable man should repudiate the whole
compact unreservedly, regardless of
what the course might entail. Like
wise with the League Of Nations COW
enant, which is an integral part of the
Peace Treaty, was drawn up by the
same parties, and partakes of the
same spirit and intention. The only
League Of Nations which true liberals
wanted was League of Nations bas
ed upon the principles of world feder-
ation---a League setting up world
deriving its powers from
the peoples of all nations; entailing a
limitation of sovereignty as 1t is at
present interpreted, especially with
respect to the regulation of economic
and vesting the share OF
sovereignty SO split off, in genuine
world government. The League of
Nations as it stands outlined in the
present covenant is a travesty on this
conception. 1t Is League of govern
ments, not of peoples; super-bureau-
cracy, which proposes to take matters
of international concern even farther
away from the control and knowledge
Of the peoples than they lie at present
under the various nationalistic bu-
1t is nothing but frank
and outright repetition Of the plan of
the Holy Alliance--an association of
banded together to main
tain the political status quo, to stop
in democracy, and to
maintain the security of governmental
against possible attempts
Of the people TO repudiate these obli-
cations. Il commits America to en-
5roilment in the domestic affairs of
Europe, in which American troops
may be used TO put down revolution.
II has the support Of international
interests, who unavoidably
xill dominate its policies to their own
neoS. in tba anorfnous avaalga raatiou