The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-23
WORLD LEAGUE
PLAN FAVORED
BY ROOSEVELT
W. D. Foulke Says Former
President Favored League
With Proper Safeguards.

for league Of nations, was presented
by William Dudley Foulke of Rich
mond In his address at the launching
of the Roosevelt legion Of war veterans
at Anderson Friday night.
Five hundred representative Re-
publicans attended the meeting. o.
valid Ryan. provisional president OF
the Roosevelt legion, presided. Foulke
was the main speaker of the evening.
The speaker brought out one point
showing Col. Roosevelts attitude in
respect to the league to enforce peace
which, at one time, he criticised Sc
verely. This was a time when the
great war was waging around u.s."
said Mr.. Foulke, land we were taking
no part In even preparing for the
struggle. He believed that some Of
the men who were taking part in this
league were using 1t as a means of
Sinking our duty in respect Of pre-
paration. He was not opposed to
league Of nations properly safeguard
ed. At that time the principal en-
phasis was upon world court for the
settlement of international disputes.
ION June 4, 1915, I wrote him as
follows: l want to write you word
in regard to the league to enforce
peace, proposed by Taft, Alton Parker,
etc. l was invited to speak at the
Cleveland conference and did so, ap-
proving the main features Of the pro-
posals, but taking issue upon the pro-
position that all justictable questions
should be submitted to a world court
for Judgment both upon the merits and
as to any issue as to jurisdiction Of
the question.
81 quite agree with your position
in America and the world war;" that
the nations ought first to agree as to
certain elementary rights, which
should not be questioned, and then
submit all other questions to the
world court. If court can pass on
what questions are justiciable and
what are not, it may decide anything
to be justiciable-the right to exclude
aliens or to regulate domestic affairs,
for instance-and no nation could af-
ford to agree in advance thus to sur
render something which might include
its whole sovereignty.
For Submission of Facts.
Il don't think "all questions affect
ing honor and vital interests" ought
to be expected from the submission in
these terms. That would allow ma
ton to call any subject matter Of
honor or vital interest and so escape
submission. But it ought to be agreed
in advance just what things are not
to be submitted and then let all the
rest 60 in. For instance, we could
not submit the Monroe Doctrine; that
is necessary to our national defense,
and we could not let any court take it
away from us, as an international
court certainly would do If 1t had a
free hand in the matter. So, too, ia
pan might we'll except from submits
sion the question whether western
powers should acquire additional ter
ritory in the far East. These matters,
as you say. should be guaranteed in
the initial treaty.
Now | was asked to join in calling
the league of peace conference in In
dependence Hall on June II to discuss
the Taft proposals. The letter want
ed me to sign my approval of these
proposals. This I declined to do, stat
ing my objections, but that in other
respects l was in favor of the move
ment, and they accordingly put me
down as one of the callers of the con-
ference and I expect to attend and
state my objections there If I have
the opportunity to do So Of which do
not feel at all sure
For War Preparations.
ITO this he answered.: of course I
agree absolutely with your letter.
You have stated the reason why l
declined to take part in that con-
ference. I hope that you will take
part, in view Of your name having
been appended to the call, and be
able to make your statement just as
you outlined it; and l will try also to
make a statement to the same effect
my fundamental objection to this
peace conference at the moment is
that it is like the Liberian emigra-
ton conference held in 1864. 1t dis
tracts attention from the point imme-
diately at issue. Before we take part
in a general international peace move
ment, we should attend to the affairs
of our own household, by: one, pre-
pairing for war; and second, making it
evident that we intend never to make
a promise that we do not intend to
make good by action
Later he criticised the members of
the league for proposing to make
promises which they would not full
fl. He thought it would be worse than
folly to make such promises until we
had built up the military force to make
them effective. Accordingly, on March
10, of that year, l wrote him as fol-
lows:
Agrees with Mr.. Foulke.
ga word in regard to the League
to Enforce Peace. ] wrote you on
June 4, 1915, that I had been asked
to join in calling a conference at In
dependence Hall to discuss the Taft
proposals. l stated my objections to
them, that the nations ought first to
agree as to certain elemental rights
which should not be questioned, and
then submit their other questions to a
world court or council of Cancellation,
believing we could not submit the
Monroe doctrine or the right Of such
a court or council to pass upon immi-
grafton questions, etc.
"'You wrote on June 16 that you
absolutely agreed with my letter,
which was the reason you declined to
take part in the conference, but you
hoped l would take part and make my
statement as l outlined it. l did So,
proposing an amendment to the plan
that any proposals to submit contro-
versies should be subject to the limi-
tations of treaties, these treaties con-
Tho vital YpaftarS which we