The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-04-08
THE AMENDED LEAGUE.
The Monroe Doctrine Endangered and
Woman Suffrage Endorsed.


1t seems almost incredible that weeks of
labor in revising the league Of nations. in re
Spouse to the demands from all shades of
opinion throughout the world, should have
eliminated in a document which, at the last
moment, makes TO effort to safeguard the
Monroe doctrine and yet finds an opportu-
nifty to commit itself to the principle of wo-
man suffrage.
Surely no one in this country came nearer
endorsing the SHUTS draft of the league Of
nations, as published, than did former Pres
Ident Taft, who cabled to Paris an outline Of
an amendment safeguarding the Monroe doc
trine. The same thing was suggested by
President Lowell, of Harvard, another
friendly critic Of the league Among the
people it was one Of the things most insist
emily demanded in the course of that gen
eral criticism which the president, in for
nal statement, declares has been very "for-
tunate."
We have been told for days that a salts
factory draft on this point had been reach
ed, and now, when the announcement comes
that the work of revising the entire docu-
ment has been finished, there is no provision
to make it clear that the United States does
not surrender the principle of the Monroe
doctrine.
We repeat that this failure is all the more
remarkable in view of the equally remark
able fact that the league is to embody an in
direct endorsement of the principle of wo-
man suffrage. The form in which this en-
dorsement is given is either absurd or insin-
cere. 1t provides that women NAV be eligi-
bic to the offices CT the league of nations
Does the most fanatical follower of the
levelling process believe for a moment that.
IN practice, any woman will be elected to an
important office in the league of nations ?
1t sounds more as if some practical Joker
were advocating the claims of Carrie Gait
to the presidency Of a federation of the
world. 1t has something Of the appearance
of piece of cheap demagogy in party
platform 'tO catch votes"
Considered soberly and impartialy. in
what possible way could this endorsement
Of the principle Of woman suffrage contrib
ute towards the peace of the world in it's IN
ternational relations? What on earth has
this veXed domestic question to do with the
reign of peace on earth through all the years
to come?
In this country the right of fixing the
franchise is one of the most vital of the re-
served rights of the states, in spite of the
continued assaults upon that right. Have
we reached point where it is to be regard
ed not even as national right as dintin-
gulshed from an international right? Are
the nations of EARTH in conclave to inter-
NEEDLE with domestic concerns to the extent
OF regulating the franchise, directly or in
directly?
At all events if the criticism of the league.
as it was drafted, was "fortunate" it is in
cumbent upon Us to keep the searchlight
upon it still Longer, and a document which
makes no reference to the Monroe doctrine
and yet endorses the principle of woman
suffrage is to that extent not only unaccept-
able to the American people, who should
have an opportunity to vote on the project.
but seems pitia3le waste of effort at a time
when the renewal of the war seems iupvi+o-
BILE if the world is saved from bolshevisr7