The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1919-06-09
Covenant Assaulted By
Senator Johnson
IN Senate
California Senator Calls League
of Nations a Gigantic
War Trust

One of the most forceful utter
ances that has yet been heard on the
subject of the Covenant of the
League of Nations was delivered
before the United States Senate yes
terday by Senator Hiram Johnson of
California.
The Senator presented a number
Of new and startling ideas regarding
the nature and the probable effect of
the proposed League in the event
that it should become operative.
Among other things he declared that,
instead Of preventing wars, it would
multiply the wars in which-if we
are to keep our agreement (Article
|X) ito respect and PRESERVE as
against external aggression the TER
RITORIAL INTEGRITY and po-
litical independence Of all members
of the league'-we must take part
Throughout the whole world.
Because of the tremendous impor-
lance of the = matter involved and
great need for careful study of the
subject from ievery viewpoint. we
quote below, at considerable length,
extracts from Senator Johnson's ad-
dress:
Policing the World
"In word, Mr.. President, this
league means that American boys
shalt police the world; that all the
tottering nations of the earth shall
be upheld by our blood and our bone;
that Asia and Africa may draw on
lus in their every dispute and quarrel;
that our nation will be at the mercy
of European and Japanese diplomats
who never had and never will have
any sympathy with our aspirations or
| ideals that we with our glorious past
shall guarantee the territorial integ-
lrity of every country on earth and the
bondage of every suffering people
in anguish begging for freedom that
we destroy our Monroe Doctrine and
submit controversies on the Ameri-
can hemisphere to determination by
foreign Powers.
1T means that I must abandon the
lessons of my youth. which until this
moment have been those of my man
hood, of American ideals, American
principles and American patriotism;
that l must deny the Americanism I
taught my children and that under
Gods blessing | hope to teach my
grandchildren. 1t means the hating
and betrayed of new world LIBERAL
ism. the triumph of old world secret
diplomacy. the humiliation and end
of American idealism.
Certain partisan gentlemen, have
Of late been making the issue parti-
sanly. For one make the issue with
them. 1t is not one political party
or the other. The issue is the repub-
lie. the republic that Washington
gave us, that Lincoln saved for US,
whose traditions and ideals have been
so gloriously upheld by our valiant
sons abroad.
an its preamble the League of Ma
tions provides:
"The high contracting parties in
order to promote information CO..
operation to achieve international
peace and security :. by the main-
tenance of justice and scrupulous
respect for all treaty obligations in
the dealing of organized peoples with
one another agree to this covenant"
The Guarantee of Territorial
Integrity
"And then in Article 10 the men,
bers of the league for themselves
undertake to respect and far be-
yond undertaking to respect they
agree to preserve as against exter-
nal aggression the territorial integ-
rity and existing political indepen-
dence of all members of the league.
And if this were not enough to in
'volve US in any dispute or controver-
sy, external or internal. which might
affect the territorial integrity and
existing political independence of the
members of the league, Article 10
takes cognizance not only of any such
external aggression but specifically
takes cognizance too of any threat
or danger of such aggression. 1t does
not need precedent nor the construc-
tion put upon the maintenance of ex-
isting treaties by the Quadruple AL
lance to enable US to understand
that danger of such aggression may
be any kind of revolution, rebellion.