The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-09


war; BON Germany and the United
States were parties to The Hague COM
vention which guaranteed the inviola-
bility of neutral States. Why did net
the President protest against this vio-
lation Of that convention to which we
were pary7 And what reason Is there
to suppose that In future emergency we
may not again have q President who
would quietly submit to a violation OF
the covenant Of the League Of Nations
and content himself with the proud boast
that we are too proud to fight?
Offers Substitute for League.
The President says in hts stately
style, Put up or shut up, accept the
League of Nations OF offer a substitute
for IT, The opponents OF the league
offer as a substitute for It the Constitu-
ton of the United States, the Declare
ton Of Independence. the Lincoin's gov
eminent by the people The President
offers us a government by council In
Geneva and says, You must take 1t IL
you have nothing better to OFFER The
question - whether there II anything
worse that could be offered. 1t is as
though one were offered dose OF deadly
poison and told he must drink II to the
dregs unless he could propose some al
Re not to drink IL.
Wow, when a European union IL pro-
posed the natural alternative to ae-
cept!ns II is to reject the proposal ana
to pillory the man who proposes II. III
rattlesnake is about to strike you
would the President ask, What alterna-
tive have you to proposer The alterna-
tive Is to Rill the ratlesnake. Does not
tho President know that the alternative
d. LII Nn1 inf MI
this league would plunge US In European
broils IL TO keep out of foreign entangle-
ments, now that the war Is finished?
''will not the President be FRANK
enough to tell the people that the old
order Of which he said, at Suresnes.
that we were ashamed of IL. had brought
us the supreme happiness OF mankind
II the President II ashamed Of our past,
as he says. does he not know that our
people are not ASHAMED of it,
why does the President say we must
adopt the League Of Nations or live In
| isolation from the rest Of the worldf IT
Is not possible that he thinks 80. when
did we ever live in Isolation from the
rest of the world7 On the contrary.
without any League OF Nations we have
maintained intimate social ana economic
relations with all the civilized world
and no one knows better than the Presi-
dent that we viii continue to do SO with
out a League Of Nations unless the ami
mostly which he engineered during his
stay in Paris by his effort to dictate the
affairs of other peoples In which he had
no concern should bring about such iso-
| lation.
As to Preventing old wars.
| 'The President says a League Of Ma
lions would prevent war. We can only
| Judge the future by the past. Would 1t
have prevented our civil war? II so
will the President point out how? Would
the other members of the league have
interviewed or applied their economic
boycott in favor of the Federal or the
| Confederate States2 II so what would
have been the result, unless to plunge
the whole world into war? There was
a League of Nations. in effect, in 1914.
It did not prevent the German war.
Would a League of Nations have pre-
vented our war with Great Britain in
ITS or in 1927 II so. how? Would
It have been by the sacrifice of the
rights for which we contendedT'
/ Senator Poindexter quoted supporter
Of the League Of Nations as saying with
respect to the Irish situation that the
President hid made an "open bid for
the support of the Irish by limiting that
! America cannot intrude upon Englands
affairs now, but that under League Of
[ Nations Ireland can get a hearing and
the moral support of the United States.
| 'The Irish case Is not our case" CON-
mented Senator Poindexter, "but it may
1 be suggested that the Irish will belle
| their racial brightness II they are
caught by any such gull bait Es that
| The idea that any right claimed by
Great Britain can be invaded by appeal
ing 10 a League of Nations which she
and her allies will dominate, will be as
futile as China's plea for her people to
this same League of Nations. China
| was told to leave her case to the Peace
Conference, composed of the same pow
ers that will dominate the League OF
Nations. She was told that the Peace
Conference would take care Of her rights
and it did by turning them over to
Japan.
The President says the League OF
Nations will help China to get heI
rights back. How can the League OF
| Nations help her to get her right.
back when the nations that control the
league are the very ones which have
taken her rights and her province OF
shantung and the key to her empire
from herr
1.-THE President asks VIII we 20 10
war with France and Great Britain for
Shantung? Does the President thinl
we will have to 60 to war with France
and Great Britain II we keep our
fingers out of this dirty business? Did
the President sign the agreement &c
give part of China to Japan under
compulsion so as to keep the United
States out of war with Japan, France
and Great Britainr
Senator Poindexter analysed Article
20 of the league covenant which OBJ
ligates members of the league to provide
for the free transit of the commerce
Of all the members, as meaning free
trade.
'Tf 1t does not mean free trade wha,
does 1t mean?" he demanded. "If Il
means something else why does the
covenant not state so? The removal OF
economic barriers means free trade
That was in the fourteen points ot
peace. Is the freedom of transit Of
commerce simply another and a higher
stage OF existence of this same bue7"
Taking up the Presidents statement
at Des Moines that the labsE situation
and high cost Of living problems coult
not be settled until the peace treat,
with the league covenant should b,
ratified Senator Polndexter said;
The war has been over for te,
months. and yet the President SAYS IN
settlements Of our most vital social an,
economic problems is SO tied up witt
Europe by this instrument that we can
not settle them except in connection witt
this treaty.
If the President has succeeded IN q