The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-01
LEAGUE WILL
BREED WAR
SAYS KNOX
IN SENATE
Former Secretary of State At
tacks Presidents Plan as
Destructive to Monroe Doc
trine and u. S. Welfare.
SUGGESTS WORLD BODY
(By Associated Press)

| WASHINGTON, March 1.-Senator
Knox, Of Pennsylvania, former secre-
tary OF state, speaking today in the
senate, assailed the league of nations
as striking down American constitu-
tional principles and proposed a new
world organization, which, he said,
would preserve the Monroe doctrine
and save America from the results OF
European intrigue and aggression"
Senator Knox, who attended the
White House dinner conference last
Wednesday with other members Of the
senate foreign relations committee.
said the constitution of the league as
presented to the peace conference.
| war" and after criticising various
| clauses Of the document, asked:
why this feverish anxiety for the
adoption of this plan? Why this pa
cling up and down the land by propa-
gandists urging its adoption? What
benefit is to come from such a sale of
| the country as Is urged upon US? Who
are the beneficiaries of this betrayal
of our people?"
Urges International Body
The Pennsylvania senator said that
If the people of the United States de-
sired what he termed a real league OF
nations to prevent war and mot mere
ly build coalition to further trade
or preserve and expand territorial
possessions" it might be secured
through the formation OF an interna-
tional organization comprising all the
nations of the world.
Senator Knox said the constitution
Of such an international coalition
should primarily declare war an inter
national crime and stipulate that any
nation engaging in 1t except in self
defense, be punished by the world as
an international criminal. He also
suggested that the constitution pro-
vide that international disputes be de-
cided by an International court ac-
cording to an international code de-
filming war; that no nation could sum-
mon another before the court unless
the subject under discussion was of
common concern to the contending ma
tions and that Jurisdiction of the
court not extend to matters of gov
ernmental policy.
Under such a code, Senator Knox
declared, America would not, as in
event the present plan for league of
nations were realized, be called upon
to arbitrate "the policy involved in
the Monroe doctrine, our conservation.
policy; our immigration policy, our
right to expel aliens, our right to re-
pei invasion and to maintain military
and naval establishments; our right
to make necessary Notifications of the
Panama Canal or on our frontiers, and
our right to discriminate between ma
tives and foreigners in respect to
rights of property and citizenship"
Would Control Hemisphere.
Among other suggestions for the
constitution, Senator Knox said it
should provide that the countries of
the two hemispheres should be called
upon to enforce DEGREES Of the inter
national court only in their respective
hemispheres.
"A league framed on these broad
lines" he continued, would carry with
it minimum loss Of our sovereignty.
would relieve us from participation in
the broils of Europe; would preserve
the Monroe doctrine and would save
America from the results Of European
intrigue and aggression"
In opening his address, Senator
Knox said he wished it understood he
had not secured negative conclusions
in regard to the constitution of the
proposed league through unfriendli-
ness or bias. He said he was against
war even to the extent of seeing the
United States make the utmost sacri-
fices possible, but that he wanted to
feel sure that when the Offering of
the United States had been placed up
on the altar and burned this country
should have measurably and proper
tionately advanced the cause of hui
nan Eborfv and
Burden Too Heavy.
Referring to the proposed constitu-
tion Of the league of nations, Senator
Knox first criticized it for "looseness
of expression which he said charac-
terized it throughout and then because
it appeared to set up two operating
entities for its enforcement, the high
contracting parties" and the league
itself. In this connection, Senator
Knox said the importance of this be-
came apparent when 1t was observed
that "the high contracting parties"
did not comprise every member state
In the league and that therefore the
burden assumed by the high contract
ing parties, whoever they may be. pos
sibly the "big five is crushing in its
weight"
The senator warned especially
against leaving the Central powers
out of the league, saying the inevi-
table result would be "to drive them
more closely together for mutual self
protection, thus making the forma-
ton of a second league Of nations.
bidding for adherence from neutral
states almost certainty"
"Thus, at no distant date" he con-
tinued, I'VE should have two great
leagues of nations and two great
camps each preparing for new and
greater life and death struggle"
Deceptively Named.
Even the term league OF nations
is a deceptive misnomer," Senator
Knox declared, 'for under this pro-
posed plan the nations of the world
are divided into three classes:
First, signatories Of the covenant.