New-York tribune., 1919-03-05

u
the recommendation of compromise,
| and not then if the defendant nation
against whom the award or recommen-
| dation has been made shall comply
with it. This is the great restraint Of
war imposed by the covenant upon
members of the league and non mem
bers. II is said that this would pre-
vent our resistance to a border raid
of Merico or self fence against any
INVASION
"lf the defendant nation does not
comply with the award. or unanimous
report then the plaintiff nation can
begin war and carry out such complete
remedy as the circumstances enable it
to do. But If the defendant nation
does comply with the award or unani-
nous report. then the plaintiff nation
must be content with such compliance.
THE third covenant, the penalizing
covenant, is that if a nation begins
war, IN violation of its covenant. then,
ipso facto. that is an act of war
against every member of the league,
and the members of the league are re
qulred definitely and distinctly to levy
a boycott on the covenant breaking ma
ton and to cut off from it all com
mercal, trade, financial, personal and
official relations between them and
their citizens and it and its citizens.
This is an obligation operative at
once on each member OF the league.
With us the executive council would
report the violation of the covenant to
the Presid ident, and that would be re-
ported to Congress, and Congress
would then, by reason of the covenant
of the league, be under an honorable
legal and moral obligation to levy an
embargo and prevent all intercourse of
every kind between this nation and the
covenant breaking nation
Further Support Not Specified
"But there is no specific require
ment as to the character of the sup
port beyond the obligation Of the boy
colt, the contribution Of expenses and
the obligation of each member of the
league to permit the passage through
It's territory of forces of other mem
bers of the league cooperating with
military forces against the outlaw ma
ton.
"The practical result of the loose
ness OF such obligations is likely to
be that the nations near the outlaw
nation and near the seat Of its out
lawry would take up arms if the bow
colt failed in it's full object, while
those .smore remote would await the
development of the difficulty and be
content with the hostile measures
short of war until the danger threat
ems to spread and make the matter
world war.
by Article X the high contracting
parties undertake to respect and pre-
serve against external aggression the
political independence and the terri
toriai integrity of every member of
the League, and when these are at
tackled or threatened the Executive
| Council ls to advise as to the proper
means to fulfil this obligation. The
same acts or series Of acts which make
Article applicable will be a breach
OF the covenant which creates an out
law nation under Article XVI, so that
all nations must begin boycott
against any nation thus breaking the
territorial integrity or ovcrthrowing
the independence Of a member of the
league
Monroe Doctrine Extended
Indeed, Article X will usually not
be applicable until war shall be
fought to the point showing its spe-
clfic purpose. Protection against it will
usually be necessary IN preventing,
IN treaty of peace, the appropriation
of territory or the interference with
tho sovereignty of the attacked and
defeated nation.
wv c have seen this in the construc-
tlon of the Monroe Doctrine put upon
it by Secretary Seward and President
| Roosevelt. The former, when Spain at
tackled Chilli, and Chill appealed to
the United States to protect it, ad-
! vlsed Spain that under the policy of
the United States it would not inter
war of an American nation by a non
American nation, provided it did not
extend to a permanent deprivation OF
It's territory, or an overthrow of it's
sovereignty.
President Roosevelt, in the Nenc-
zuean matter, also announced that
the Monroe Doctrine did not prevent
nations from proceeding by force to
collect their debts provided oppres-
slvc measures were not used which
would deprive the nation of its in
! dependence or territorial integrity.
Will Minimize War Everywhere
"Will our country be forced by these
covenants into a lot of little wars all
over the face of the world? No. In
the first place, the existence of the
league and its covenants and the imme-
diate and self-acting boycotts will re-
STRAIN most nations, especially small
nations, from mourning the penalty of
complete world ostracism.
The background of possible united
force will be further restraint. It
Will mlnimlze war everywhere. The
risk of war for the members of the
league under the covenant is therefore
not to be compared with the danger of
recurrence of general war without it.
Into such a war we are bound to be
drawn. with all its horrors.
"Objectlon is made to the constitu-
tion of the executive council with the
suggestion that Great Britain might
have more delegates therein than other
countries. This is an error The
British Empire, which of course in
cludes its dominions, is limited to one
delegate in the executive council.
"a proposed resolution in the Senate
recites that the constitution of the
league OF nations in the form now pro-
posed should not be accepted by the
United States, although the sense of
the Senate is that the nations Of the
world should unite to promote peace
and general disarmament. The reso-
luton further recites that the nego-
tlatlons on the part of the United
States should Immediately be directed
to the utmost expedition of the urge Mt
business of negotiating peace terms
with Germany satisfactory to the
United States and the nations with
whom the United States is associated
IN the war against the German gov
ernment. and that the proposal for a
league of nations to insure the per
manent peace of the world should then
be taken up for careful and serious
consideration.
Treaty Matter Up to Wilson