South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-06-19
JUNE 10. 1919.
MAKING A SEPARATE PEACE" AND
THE IDIOCY OF 1T.

.Tanoer Knox and "Tmtsky' Lodge, are now
threatening the peace conference.-the allied pow
ers assembled at Paris-with a separate peace Il
the League Of Nations covenants are not separated
from the German treaty. this by resolving 20 recall the
declaration of war. such a separate peace Woulo
probab1v not get past the presidents veto, but that
do.s,, lessen the c~ulpabiuty of the intent. If carried
ont. it would be of the same character of separate
neace as that negotiated between the Russian boil
sbeviki and the Germans. and would similarly and
iustIv. divorce America from the society Of nations
and unworthy the respect Of the rest of the world.
II is lust another little side view Of the defiant
s.titude Of our rule or ruin lords. "Prevarica-
tion. misrepresentation misinterpretation' fraud
and then il that fails. defiance is the way in which
Sen. McCumber also a republican, eharacterlzes
their conduct. and words could not put it better.
Anyone who undertakes TO separate the League
from, the peace treaty. according 10 the Knox PLAN
will certainly have a complex dissecting job on his
bands. made necessary by the very exgencies of
The case.
The League Is specifically referred to in the
treaty in - places outside of the formal covenant
itself. and nearly all Of these references have to do
with the assignment To the League, for future set
tlement or administration. of matters not otherwise
disposed OF in the treaty.
only a few Of these need be mentioned TO show
the big place given the League in the general
scheme of world settement worked out by the peace
conference:
An the colonies taken from the central
powers are 70 he administered by manufactures
acting under the authority of the League or Ma
lions and responsible TO it.
THE league. through commissions appoint
cd by IT. is 10 govern the Saar valley for IS
years and control Dantzig indefinitely as a free
city. thus solving two peculiarly difficult prob
lens.
s-The league is to supervise the preserva-
tfo- 81 art-4Tffx in the established east
Of the Rhine.
at is required to act as a tribunal in es-
tabrshing the BeIgian-German frontier.
st is 10 maintain the rights Of allied ship
ping IN German ports.
6-t is to establish a court OF last appeal to
determine riparian rights on the Danube and
other international waterways
lit Is 10 arrange and conduct an interna-
tional labor conference next fall, and 10 create
and supervise a permanent world-labor organ
izatOn.
So it goes. There is am immense amount of work,
constructive and administrative, assigned 10 the
League by a peace conference which realized its
Inability to settle everything itself. and realized just
as clearly the need OF some continuing body that
could act hereafter with the same authority tenn
porariIy possessed by the conference.
II looks as II cutting out that covenant would so
manele the treaty as to kin the patient Experts
are agreed that the treaty will have 10 be accepted
or rejected as a whole. the League of Nations cove
nant standing or falling with the treaty. settling the
war that forced both into existence.
As 70 the separate peace" by the senatorial route,
the president still has some constitutional powers
and a president once threatened "a senator from the
Carolinas with hanginE. sumciently effective that
an attempt to nuIHfy a proclamation OF the presi-
dent. suddenly quieted down Fres't Wilson might
rot go that far. probably wouldn't but there are
such things as senators COINS too far. particularly
when they become traitorous in their course. even
officially. a senatorial attempt to set up a separate
peace" would De such an Endorsement of anarchy.
as would set a me example for The reds" liz to bee
followed by them az their worst.