Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-08-22


atoms committee at the Viii
louise Tuesday with an openir
tatement on the peace treaty ar
ne League of Nations. He said
art:
Mr.. Chairman: I am sincerely
glad that the committee should
have responded in this way to
my intimation that 1 would like
to be of service to it. l welcome
the opportunity for a frank and
full interchange of views.
1 hope, too, that this confer
ence will serve to expedite the
consideration of the treaty CT
peace. 1 beg that you will par
don and indulge me if I again
urge that practically the whole
task of bringing the country back
to normal conditions of life and
industry waits upon the decision
of the senate with regard to the
terms of the peace treaty.
I venture thus again to urge
my advice that the action of the
senate with regard to the treaty
be taken at the earliest practi-
cable moment because the prob
lens with which we are face to
face in the readjustment of our
national life are of the most
pressing and critical character,
will require for their proper So
luton the most intimate and
disinterested cooperation of all
parties and all interests and can
not be postponed without mani
fest peril to our people and to
all the national advantages we
hold most dear.
Nothing, I am led to believe,
IN,
cation of the treaty except GER
tain doubts with regard to the
meaning and implication of GER
tain articles of the covenant of
the League of Nations; and
must frankly say that / am I'M
able to understand why such
doubts should be entertained.
The Monroe doctrine is ex-
pressly mentioned as an under
standing which is in no way to
be impaired or interfered with
by anything contained in the
covenant and the expression re
gional understanding like the
Monroe doctrine" was used, not
because any one of the conferees
thought there was any compare
BILE agreement anywhere else In
existence or in contemplation,
but only because it was thought
best to avoid the appearance OF
dealing in such a document with
the policy of a single nation;
Absolutely nothing is concealed
in the phrase.
With regard to domestic ques-
lions, article XVI, of the cove.
nant expressly provides that, IL
in case of any dispute arising
between members of the league
the matter involved is claimed
by one of the parties and IS
found by the council to arise
out of a matter which by inter
national law is solely within tne
domestic jurisdiction OF thaE
party, the council shall so re-
port, and shall make no rec
ommendation as to it's settle
ment."
The United States was by no
means the only government in
terested in the explicit adoption
of this provision. and there IS
no doubt in the mind of any au-
thoritative student of interna-
tionaI law that such matters as
immigration, tariffs and natural
ization are incontestably domes-
tic questions with which no in
ternational body could deal
without express authority to do
So No enumeration of domestic
questions was undertaken, be-
cause to undertake it, even by
sample, would have involved the
danger of seeming to exclude
those not mentioned
Right to Withdraw,
The right of any sovereign
state to withdraw had been taken
fo h1If mn nh1aRtiOn
made to making it explicit. In
deed, so soon as the views ex-
pressed at the White House con-
ference were laid before the COM
mission it was at once conceded
that it was best not to leave the
answer to so important a ques-
ton to inference. No proposal
was made to set any tribunal to
pass judgment upon the ques-
ton whether a Withdrawing ma
ton had in tact fulfilled "all it's
International obligations and all
it's Obligations under the cove
nant." 1t was recognized that
that question must be left to be
resolved by the conscience Of the
nation proposing to withdraw,
and l must say that it did not
seem to me worth while to pro-
pose that the article be made
more explicit because L knew
that the United States would
never itself propose to withdraw
from the league If it's conscience
was not entirely clear as to the
fulfillment of all it's international
obligations. 1t has never failed
to fulfill them and never will.
Article ten is in no respect of
doubtful meaning when read in
the light of the covenant as a
whole. The council of the league
can only "advise" upon the
means by which the obligations
of that great article are to be
given effect to. Unless the
United States is party to the
policy or action in question, her
own affirmative vote in the coun-
Gil is necessary before any advice
can be given. for a unanimous
vote of the council is required.
If she is a party, the trouble is
here anyhow. And the unani-
nous vote of the council is only
advice in any case. Each gov
eminent is free to reject it, if it
pleases. Nothing could have
been made more clear to the con-
ference than the right of our
congress under our constitution
to exercise it's Independent judg-
ment in all matters of peace and
war. No attempt was made to
question or limit that right. The
United States will, indeed under
take under article ten to respect