The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-16
BUTLER SEES MERIT
IN DRAFT OF LEAGUE
Columbia's President Says,
However, 1t Is Clumsy Bit
Of Workmanship.
PROPER BASIS rs LAID
He Fears Plan Bristles With
Difficulties for U. s. and
Britain.
PROPER BASIS is LAID

Or. Nicholas Murray Butler, president
Of Columbia University. sees In the draft
plan for League of Nations which
President Wilson submitted to the Peace
Conference a real beginning in bringing
about better organization Of the world.
In a discussion of the plan last night
re put particular and approving empha-
sis on six points which he considers the
as so far presented "bristles with diff
culties and perhaps impossibilities for
nations such as the United States and
Great Britain, which must be taken out
Of the draft before 1t Is presented for
final action" He also said the draft
Itself lis as clumsy a bit of workman
chip as the history OF international
agreements affords"
The constructive critic OF the draft
rlan for a League of Nations will first
feek out its strong points ard law en-
rhasis on Them" said DR.. Butler.
Most Important Fact,
The most important fact Is that .he
draft plan proposes a real league and
league OF those nations which have
been In alliance to win the war and that
other nations will only be admitted t. It
II the assent be had OF not less than
tvo-thirds of the nations who are to
Join In the proposed covenant. This in
effect established the league upon the
foundation OF the principles for which
the war has been fought and makes Il
certain that no other nation will be ad-
,7itted to the league unless II is able to
give effective guarantees Of its intention
10 observe Its international engagements
end unless 1t Is ready to conform to
such general regulations as the league
may determine.
This has seemed to me the only pos
sible way in which a beginning could be
made In bringing about a better organ
ization OF the world. 1t expressly con-
t-adicts the unwise view that the nations
In arms against us should be admitted to
the league at Its organization and on
the same terms with the allied Powers.
The second point Of Importance Is
the covenant set out In Article IL, which
IS an agreement to postpone war with a
View to avoiding 1t through the use of
methods and Observation-Disclosures therein
named 1t Is interesting to compare
this paragraph line by line with some
Of the proposals and votes of The Hague
n
comparison will make It plain that no
very distinct advance has been made
over the ground gained at the second
plague conference. unless 1t be true as
It probably Is. that the experiences Of
this war have immensely increased the
likelihood of nations faithfully keeping
their international engagements here
after. The curious minded will read
again the provisions OF the twenty-frst
AtA1A
1fidalgo, made between the United States
and Mexico in 1s4S. and perhaps. will
raise their eyebrows at some subsequent
happenings.
Force of Public Opinion.
The third point that is implicit
throughout the whole draft Is recoRni-
ton of the fact that the real sanction
behind any such plan as is proposed for
tho postponement or prevention of war
Is the public opinion of the world. The
''se or economic compulsion upon an in
tending belligerent can be made very
terrible, but even an TO this more than
one nation will find serious difficulties
not always wholly constitutional in
character. AS to the armed force In the
background IT can only be said that
that Is always In the background, al
ways has been and always will be until
society IS ready to dissolve in smoke
"A fourth and most important point
IS contained in Article %. but 1t Is so
clumsiy and awkwardly phrased as to
require complete rewriting In order to
he either practical or consonant with
the Constitution of the United States.
The principle contained in this article
vas explicitly stated and affirmed by
the Republican State Convention of New
York at Saratoga in July last The
ufaNa
that no treaty or international engage
'nent will be binding unless registered
with the secretary general OF the league,
hut that any treaty or international
engagement which is not so registered
will not be recognized by the league as
ore which these covenants require It to
take cognizance OF and to enforce.
This Is the principle OF so-called open
plomacy. and puts secret international
fragments outside the pale of inter-
at!onal law. As now written Article
20 is plainly Incompatible with the Con-
''!tution OF the United States It can
readily be rewritten in the manner sug-
Sested by the New York State Republi-
cans so as to remove this difficulty.
Backward Peoples.
"A NTH point, and one which is of
even greater moral than practical sig
niecance, Is that which recognizes the
duty of the moro advanced peoples to-
ward those more backward in civiliza-
ton. The public opinion of the world has
for some time past demanded that the
political and economic exploitation of
backward peoples be brought 20 an end.
Tho allied Powers which have won the
war now unanimously assent to this
view and thereby establish II as a part
OF the code of civilization. Five hun
Gred years from now the historian of
tho black men and the brown men who
dwell in the remoter part of the earth
Will point. to the establishment OF this
policy as we point to Magma Charta and
TO the discovery OF America
"A sixth point is the recognition in
Article 20 OF other international inter-
ests than law. trade and commerce. It
Is fine thing to have Che free nations
combine in a declaration that IL is part
or their duty TO secure and maintain
fair and humane conditions for the hand
workers of the world. Whether or not
this Is merely a pious declaration will
be proved by the way in which this ar
Nc!e is interpreted and administered.
After SO much has been said II must
be added that the draft plan bristles
with difficulties and perhaps with impos-
abilities, particularly for nations such as
Great Britain and tho United States
hese must be closely examined in MI
nutest detail and such OF them as are
impractible taken out Of the draft be-
fore II Is presented for final action
The draft itself Is as clumsy a bit
or workmanship as the history of inter
rational agreements affords. 1t lacks to