The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-11-19
THE RESERVATION ON ARTICLE TEN.

been founded upon the varying conceptions of the obi
cations assumed in hsi paragraph of the agreement and
of their effect upon and other nations The position
generally taken that this article is desirable
for the maintenance of peace and has changed in
view. And call attention to the fact that move
ment for the rejection of article 10 has at any time de-
veloped dominating following in the senate Notwith-
standing all that has been said in opposition the article
in the senate and out Of it, effort to exclude it has
had strong support Article remains in the covenant
and will remain under the reservation adopted by the
majority of the What then is the meaning and
effect of that reservation?
1t declares, in BRIEF that the United States assumes
obligation under this article unless in any particular
instance the Congress shall provide What would be
position and duty under this article if no
walton adopted? A treaty when ratified becomes
law of the land and like any other law is subject
the limitations of the constitution. The constitution
vests in Congress certain exclusive powers among which
is the power to declare and to provide the means
of Any treaty signed by the United States that
obgates to of must be subject to the
action of Congress in its application, and such action
NSPNAAN
that the action is required by the circumstances Article
10 declares that The members of the league undertake
respect and preserve against external aggression
the territorial integrity and existing political ndepend-
ence of all members of the league" Who is to decide
what constitutes external aggression" Who is to in
terpret this obligation? Plainly the members themselves
No power is created with mandatory authority either to
pta IN opforo a or;cb+ ill., a
notice of such aggression implied and the Coun
Gil is instructed in such case in Of any threat
of such aggression, to advise the members upon the
means by which this obligation shall be fulfilled" Iut
the Council cannot compel any government to accept
either its opinion its advice The article said Presi
dent Wilson the Foreign Relations Committee of the
Senate leaves Congress absolutely free to put its
own Interpretation upon it in all that call for
action" 1t is he said, moral not legal obligation
and is binding in conscience only, not in law" And
as to the advice of the Council he sad each govern
ment free to reject it if it please" Therefore, accord
ing to Mr. Wilson's understanding the article it stands
in the covenant to be interpreted by Congress ndepend
emily and its action in every case to be governed by its
own decisions as to its duty in the matter.
Now, in what important particular does this under
standing differ from that expressed in the reservation
just adopted? The reservation puts into words the quail
fcations and limitations that Mr., Wilson believes to be
inherent The agreement remains in the covenant with
out amendment Should occasion arise the Council woul
notify that in its opinion external aggression existed or
threatened and would advise US in accordance with
the terms of the article With or without the reserva-
ton there would be call upon until the Council so
informed us, and with without the reservation as
Stunning Mr. Wilson's position to be correct we would be
free to decide for ourselves whether an obligation really
existed to US, under this article, and if so how we
should fulfill it. No obligation would could exist ex
cept in the arising of the conditions contemplated in the
article The difference is simply this; The majority
of the senate and believe the majority of the people,
consider it unwise to leave to implication matter of
such Importance, and insist that independence of
decision and action shall be definitely expressed and our
constitutional limitations made clear 1t is to be adj
mtted that this expression weakens the psychological
or moral power of the article preserver of nterna
tiona peace 1t weakens but it by no means destroys
and against that valid but sufficient objection is
placed the fact that right of independent judgment
is fully safeguarded by the reservation The article is
not rejected nor made mpotent Subject to our CON
illusions as to our duty under it remains in force A
BESIDES unless the fourteenth reservation should be adopt
ed, there is enough material and moral power back of
article 6 to enforce the important provisions of
the covenant and perhaps to insure it's primary pur
poses We have long believed and frequently said that
if the provisions of articles II to II were applied to
relations in accord with the spirit and aim
of the covenant there would be little probability of oc-
casion arising for the application of article TO-