The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1919-05-28
The Worlds Next Step
NO.8
What Is Our Duty In Connection with
the League of Nations?
BY CLARENCE T.. SPEED

! VIII any action on my part have any
| influence on the forces that are now
settling the desiinies of the worlI?"
Every citizen Of the United States
! has dny TO perform now, in connec-
! tion with the league OF nations, Just
| ms urgent as he had when we were ut
| war; You did not hesitate to do Your
| part then just because you were only
one of hundred million and on the
theory that any little saving or invest
| Ing or working that you could do
would have little effect toward de-
feating Germany. 3
Every individual citizen is represent
ed in Washington by senator. You
may not know him; may never have
seen him. Nevertheless. he has some
respect for your opinions; he wishes
TO win your vote once moro. If he did
not respect the opinions of his CON
stituents he would be queer person,
for he is sent to Washington to carry
out the wishes of the majority of the
voters.
Now the United states senate is the
body which has the power to ratify or
reject treaties. The British premier
has promised to submit the peace
treaty to parliament for its approval,
too; but he has just had an election
and knows where parliament stands.
When the representatives of all or
most of the other nations sign the
treaty of peace, That is all that is nee
essary. 1t then becomes operative.
But America will not be at peace
with Germany nor will it be Il mem
Der of the league of nations until the
senate has ratified the treaty, If the
senate should refuse to ratify it, we
would then be in the position of being
ut war when all the remainder of the
world was at peace, and of being out
side of Il league of nations which enl-
braced most of the other important
countries.
as it possible" you may ask, "that
the senate could fail to ratify Il treaty
and thus leave us ont in the cold? Are
we ready to stand alone in this fed
Grated world? Can we assume the
role OF China and build wall of ex-
clusiveneSs around uSY
Looked at in that light it does not
seem possible; yet when one listens to
the speeches made daily in the senate
it does seem us though many senators
are far from ready to vote for the
treaty which contains Il provision for
a league OF nations. They may believe
Inv l1a T.
is our duty as voters to let them know
whether they are carrying out our
wishes or not.
In this series of articles there has
been no attempt to present IN argu-
Snent that the constitution of the
league of nations rs it stands is per-
feet document There very likely is
room for many improvements. If
there were not, it would be an excep-
ton to every other constitution ever
adopted.
Conditions may arise a decade or
century from now of which we can
have no conception at this time, any
more than the trainers of the Ameri-
can Constitution could have foreseen
the developments OF today.
!. But there can be no doubt that the
world rs a whole, now disapproves of
war and denies the necessity for war,
and that the league of nations as now
proposed is Il sincere effort to do away
with the danger of war.
There is every reason to believe that
1t stands more than Il fair chance of
succeeding, While it is so drawn as TO
present few if any perils that we have
not always had with us if it fails to
succeed.
The constitution of the league does
not prevent the United States from
doing anything it wants to do, for the
reason that the United States has NO
designs ON the property of its neigh
bors. 1t does not impose any new bur.
dens upon us comparable with the war
debt which has just been heaped on us
through no fault or desire of our own.
The league may call upon the United
States to do its part in governing some
of the backward portions of the globe
until they are ready to govern them
selves. This may entail some expense,
some trouble. possibly some small loss
of American lives, us in the case of
the Philippines, but nothing in com.
}parlson to the losses in men and money
sustained in our participation in what
was for us only the flag end of great
world war.
Every man must do his duty in his
own community, il he expects good
government. If he believes in the
league of nations, it is his duty now to
let his representatives in the senate
know il. II he does not. it likewise is
his duty TO make his beliefs known. !
The plain people, the world over,
are letting ii be known that they are
against international war. Most Of |
them believe that the league of ma.
lions Is now the enc way to prevent it. |
/ II you so believe, You are not doing
your duty, unless you let your senator
know that you want the treaty rati- !
fed.
Illinois senators are Medill McCor-
mick III West Washington street