Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-09-10

put in as a. .signatory and member Of
the league by thet peace conference
because Great Britain desired It.
Great Britain also will control the
votes of the Kingdom OF Hejaz and Of
Persia. With these last two Of course
Britain has six votes in the league as
sembly no reason has occurred to the
committee and no argument has been
made to show why the United States
should not have an equal mum ber. II
other countries like the present ar
rangement, that is not our affair; but
the committee failed to see why the
United States should have but one
vote in the assembly of the league
when the British empire has six.
The Shantung Provision.
transfer to China the German lease
and rights, if they exist, in the
Chinese province of Shantung which
are given by the treaty to Japan. The
| majority of the committee were not
willing to have their votes recorded at
any stage in the proceedings in favor
of the consummation of what they
consider great wrong. They cannot
assent to taking the property of a
faithful ally and handing it over to
another ally in fulfllment of bargain
made by other powers in secret
treaty. 1t is a record which they are
not willing to present to their fellow
citizens or leave behind them for the
contemplation Of their children.
Amendment No. 2 is simply to-
provide that where a member of the
league has self-governing dominions
!, and colonies which are also members
of the league. the exclusion of the dis
putants under the league rules shall
cover the aggregate vote of the men,
Der of the league and its self-govern-
ing dom1nions and parts of empire
combined If any one Of them is in
volved In the controversy.
The remaining amendments, with
a single exception may be treated as
relieve the United States from having
representatives on the commissions
established by the league which deal
with questions in which the United
States has and can have no interest
and in which the United States has
evidently been inserted by design.
The exception is amendment number
45. which provides that the United
States shall have a member of the
reparation commission but that such
commissioner Of the United States
cannot, except in the case of ship
ping where the interests Of the Unit
ed States are directly involved deal
with or vote upon any other ques-
tiOns, before that commission except
under Instructions from the govern
ment of the United States.
The Reservations.
THE committee proposes four res
|ervattons to be made part OF the
resolution of ratification when it is
offered. The committee reserves, Of
course, the right to offer reservations
IL they shall SO determine. The four
reservations now presented are as fol-
lows: ;., f5g Nj
The United States reserves to
itself the unconditional right to with
draw from the League of Nations
upon the notice provided in article !
OF said treaty Of peace with Ger
many. III VI ssaa s. &. 1
81 ..'The provision In the league COW
enant for withdrawal declares that
any member may withdraw provided
| 1t has fulfilled all its international
obligations and all its obligations un-
der the covenant. There has been
much dispute 40 TO who would decide
/ H the question OF, the fulftllment OF
OBLIGATIONS was raised and Il 10 very
generally thought that this question.
| would ~ settled by the council OF the
League Of Nations. The bsst that can
be- said about it II that the Questions
OF decision isF clouded with doubt On
such d point O. this there must be no
doubt. The United States. which hAs
never, broken IN international obliEA-