The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-01-02
Speech of Senator Borah on the Propos-
ed League of Nations for.Pease

which involve the integrity, the honor
or the right Of this nation. he would
not submit to the Judgment Of such a
league, because he knows, as we all
Know, that the rights of nations as be-
tween nation and nation are often of
such vital character that they can
not be adjudicated by any tribunal or
any alliance. 1t is only those inciden-
tai things or minor propositions, such
as we may delegate to a board of arbi
tratlon or to a court of arbitration,
that may go to an organization which
is separate and apart from the organi-
cations of the country itself. There
are many questions-the great vital
questions-which no nation will sub
NIT to, and which can never be meas
ured and circumscribed by any alliance
or by any tribunal other than the SOW
ereign voice of it's own people.
Therefore say that none are willing
to follow this matter to the point
where it would become effective and
controlling, for the reason that those
matters which are of vital concern no
nation will ever submit to a tribunal
which is composed in a large part or
majority of which are the representa-
tives of the other nations
The first proposition connected With
the proposed league is that of rri
bunal to settle the matters of contro-
versy which may arise between the
different nations. First, what is to be
its jurisdiction and power? What kind
of questions are you willing to submit
to it? Secondly. after you have sub
mitted such questions as are of vital
concern to you, are you willing to give
to that tribunal the sanction which
will enable it to enforce its judgment?
Are you going to organize tribunal
with the power to judge and also with
the power to enforce, or are you SIM
ply going to organize an international
debating society, without any power
man has yet been willing, according to
my reading, to say that he is willing
to give to such an international tri-
bunal or to this supernternational
court the power to render Judgment
and to furnish it the police power or
the army to enforce it.
Will anyone advocate that those
matters which are of vital Importance
to our people shall be submitted to a
tribunal created other than by our
own people and give it an information
al army, subject to its direction ana
control. to enforce its DEGREES? l
doubt if anyone will advocate that;
the able senator from Illinois would
not do so; and yet he is perhaps as
earnest an advocate of this proposition
as we shall be able to find. He was
unwilling to give to this tribunal an
army at it's command. If you do not
do so, Mr.. President what VIII your
league amount to? If it renders
Judgment which judgment is for the
purpose of preventing war; and can not
enforce it's judgment. what does II
amount to?
MIR. REED. Mr. President
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does
the senator from Idaho yield to the
senator from Missouri?
MIR. BORAH ! yield.
MR.. REED. If it does render
Judgment for the purpose OF prevent
ing war and has the force to enforce
its Judgment, how is it going to en-
force that judgment by force except
by making war?
MR.. BORAH. Precisely so. In ltS
last analysis the proposition is force
70 destroy force, onflict to preVen
conflict. militarism to destroy milltar
ism war to prevent war. In its las
ANALYSIS it must be that If it mas an.
sanction behind it's Judgment at all
There is where the difficulty lies
The distinguished ex-secretary o
state for foreign affairs in England
yiscount Grey, has met this matte
very candidly in discussing the oosta
cles to this proposition. He was can
did enough to say that without sup
er,ntarnational tribunal and withou
an army at it's command the ieagu
would be futile. Is that your pro
gram? Do you say that you propos
that American citizens shall be Gale
Into military action at the bidding
q tribunal composed almost entirely {
members from Europe and Asia an
wholly beyond the selective or elec'l'
|, control of our people? Viscount Gre
said:
"The economic pressure that such
,oague could use would in itself L
very powerful, and the action Oh son
lof the smaller states composing u
,eapue could not perhaps go peyon
, the economic pressure, but those stat'
thot have the power must be ready
,,se all the force and all the econom
, and military and naval force that th'
: nossess. 1t must be clearly understo'
t and accepted that the detection fro
= or violation of the agreement by Oh
t ar more states does not absolve all
( INV Of the others from the obiigau'
!. % enforce those agreements"
o Let us, therefore, be entirely cahu
q .,.,, ~. neonle of this country to sta