Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-08-04
If THIS IS ALL

Taking as its text the presidents brief message which
fore the senate. the New York Sun disposes of the ad>
dress and the treaty in what Is manifesely intended to
be \ elinching and conclusive article.
The Sun objects to the address-and consequently
wipes the treaty out of eristence-on the grounds Of con-
stitutionality. Of sentiment. and Of fact.
On the constitutional phase the Sun says:
l.. The first defect is constitutional. The
executive has no warrant for submitting and
the senate has no power to ratify 4 treaty which
BY its OWE terms is made subject to the approval
Of the council OF the League Of Nations. The
League Of Nations does not exist so far as the
United States is concerned. But if it had al
ready been erected, with the United States gov
4 eznment as a party to it, the constitutional OBJ
! lection to this provision would be equally pro-
hibitive.
The argument which follows is an elaboration Of this
premise. The conclusion of the Sun is that because the
constitution does not recognize the existence of a League
of Nations. the American government cannot do business
with one. 1t might as well be said that because the
constitution makes no mention Of airplanes it is uncon-
sstitutional for our government to operate them. The
fact is that the trainers of the constitution undertook
to do business with the world as they found it, and with
the agencies at hand. They did not undertake to deny
u same privilege TO their successors, and we suspect
that in q general way they expected the United States to
keep moving along with the rest Of the world.
Tho Suns second objection, on the ground Of senti-
ment, is that the presidents expressions Of friendship
for France do not square with some of his former ex-
pressions, notably his injunction early in the fall of 1914.
to strict neutrality. 1t is quite true that some OF the
presidents later expressions do not harmonic with some
OF his former ones. But the thing that matters just now
Is whether or not what he advises is right and Just. In
cidentally it may be mentioned that Mr.. wilson's eyes
are not the only ones from which scales have fallen in
these five years, and there are many who, in the light of
the experience gained, would revise both their words and
their thoughts II they had the opportunity.
On the question Of fact the Sun disputes the state
ment that two governments who wish to be members
Of the league ask leave Of the council of the league to
be pernitted5to go to the assistance of a friend whose
situation has been found to be of peculiar peril without
awaiting the advice Of the league to act" On this the
Sun makes the point that the United States has not yet
expressed a wish to join the league, denounces the use
Of the word permission" as a denial of American indie
pendence. and wants to know why Great Britain merely
consents" to aid France. while a different term is used
In the treaty with the United States.
Obviously the president was stating his conception
Of the situation on the assumption that both treaties
would be ratified. and his statement is accurate. The
French treaty is a modification of, and supplementary
70 the league agreement. The intent OF that agreement.
as expressed and understood, is to place obstacles in the
way Of war. 1t is provided that nations shall not go to
war. except under specified conditions. without the OBJ
servance Of certain formalities which must be carried on
through the league. 1t is proposed that because Of cir
cunstances Of a peculiar nature an exception shall be
made in the case of France and the nations which pledge
her their aid.
II there are no objections to the French treaty of
greater weight than those stated by the Sun, the treaty
should be ratified without further debate.