Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-03-20
SENATOR LODGE AND
PRESIDENT LOWELL
HOLD JOINT DEBATE
CONTINUED from pnge Onc.)

continued, set up an imaginary scare
crow of their own creation and then
fire at 1t with great satisfaction to
themselves. If the United States Is not
subject to the orders of the executive
council, 1t Is senseless to talk of our
being ruled by a body in which we
have only one vote out of nine"
He discussed the various objections
that had been raised, saying in part:
An objection brought forward by
the opponents of the league is that
Asiatic immigration, the policy of a
protective tariff. or some other matter
of vital domestic interest may be
brought before the executive council for
inquiry and decided against us. 1t
would seem to be clear that the franz
ers of the covenant did not intend to
submit to the council the internal
affairs of the members of the league,
and If there is any serious doubt on
the question, there will doubtless be
no objection to making it perfectly
clear"
MONROE DOCTRINE A BUGBEAR
Coming to the Monroe doctrine, which
he said was 1.-THE greatest bugbear of
ALL" DR.. Lowell expressed the opinion
that the United States would be justi-
fed in asking for a clause in the COW
enant that no foreign power should
acquire any possession on the Amer
lean continents or the adjacent islands.
However,, he said, the covenant ex-
tended the doctrine over the world
and it's adoption would relieve the
United States itself of any suspicion of
imperialistic designs on it's American
~neighbors.
Finally" said the speaker, I" an OBJ
lection is made to the covenant on the
ground that its provisions are con-
trary to the constitution of the United
States on the ground that a treaty to
limit rmamen or to require u COM
mercial boycott, or to guarantee the
territory of another country, or to limit
the right to declare war are contrary
to the powers vested in Congess. Now
1t so happens that all these things have
been regulated by treaties already made
still In existence and duly ratified nv
the Senate. Treaties regulating COM
lnerce in various ways have been COM
mon. and are too numerous to require
citation.
with the approval of the Senate in
loIi, an agreement was made with Eng
land to limit the naval forces of the two
countries upon the Great Lakes.
by the treaty of 1876 the United
States guaranteed the sovereignty and
property Of New Granada. over the
lsthmus OF Panama. By the treaty Of
1913 we guaranteed and agreed to main
tain the independence of the Republic
of Panama. and by the treaty Of 1916
guaranteed the Independence of Haiti
and agreed to land efficient aid for its
preservation.
Finally between 1914 and 1916 the
United States made treaties with 20 ma
tons to refer to arbitration disputes of
every nature Whatsoever and not to go
to war until after the award.
1t Is a little late in the day for oppon-
ents of the covenant of Paris to discover
that its treaty obligations are unconsti-
tutlonal and hence that all the foregoing
treaties are null and void. This is par
ticularly true of those senator's who voted
for many of these treaties"
LODGE IS CHALLENGED
DR.. Lowell called upon his opponent to
declare first: Whether he would or would
not vote for the covenant provided 1t
was amended as the senator wished; and,
second, what amendments he desired.
Departing from his set address to reply
to his opponent. DIR. Lowell said:
We both feel that this covenant is, as
II stands, defective. but the difference
is that ! feel that When these defects
have been removed that covenant, with
those defects cured. ought to be ratified
and he does not tell us whether he
thinks SO or not"
Referring to the farewell address of
George Washington, the speaker said:
1T was Il great document in its day
and so was the Ten Commandments
In developing the point that universal
arbitration treaties would have prevent
oil r,,a P,,r, .;-- 49,. $500
DR.. Lowell remarked that such a system
might have prevented our fighting Spain
in 1898, but was taking Cuba worth this
! war?'
The audience seemed disposed to be
impartial and again the applause was gen.
eral as DR.. Lowell finished.
5 DIR. Lowell had spoken an hour and
twenty minutes. Senator Lodge closed the
, debate occupying another half hour. With
apparent feeling the senator said:
II am engaged in dealing with the league
that has been presented TO the people of
the United States. / hope from my heart
it will be amended. l hope we shall have
a league in proper form, properly pre-
pared. / hope it will be d~one-done some.
where before the end is reached. In my
belief it will be done somewhere. and not
in Paris.
1.-THE Senate under the constitution has
the right to advise and consent. If the
President of the United States had done
what other presidents had done; if he had
laid that the proposed c~ovenant) before
the Senate; If he had followed the exam
: pie of other presidents, then we could
have taken constructive action. 1t was
done by Andrew Jackson by General
Grant. by George Washington, and by
l Abraham Lincoln. And in the path that