The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1919-03-28
THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
An Intelligent. Contribution to the Discussion by
Tribune Reader.


share the burdens as we'll as the
profits. By sharing the burdens
mean to take an active part in preserv-
ing the peace of the world. And if
the United States is to depend entire
ly upon a preparedness program, it
will mean "a tremendous outlay OF
time, money and material Guns,
armour and battleships decay rapidly
and within the next fifty years the
whole layout from cellar to garnet will
have to be renewed from four to five
times. The other nations would have
to prepare in like proportions so that
the waste alone from such a proceed
ings would burden the peoples of the
earth with fearful taxation. Now, if it
is possible to merely tighten that bur-
den by forming league, then it would
be we'll worth while. But there is a
further possibility connected with ade-
quate preparations. Just who is to
decide what adequate preparations
are? If it is Major General Wood, it
will mean one thing and if it is the
present secretary of war, it will mean
quite another thing. You will un-
doubtedly say that Mr. Baker will not
be deciding anything within very
short time, but it is possible that
within the next fifty years the voters
will again be infected with a species
of insanity and will again elect a paci-
; fist secretary of war with the conse-
quences that instead of adequate pre-
parations we will have no prepare
tons at all and we will again be
caught mapping when we are sorely in
need, only the need will be much
greater and the danger much more
severe. The Americans are a peace
loving people without the rivalries
and the spur of the proximity of a
foreign race and the danger would lie
all to the unpreparedness.
On the other hand the United States
can enter a world league of nations.
One that l call real league, founded
on justice and equality, carefully
thought out and entered into by all
the nations of the earth. And | be-
lieve that great majority of the ma
tons would enter such a league in
good faith and with real intentions to
do what was best for the combined
powers. and I also believe that such a
league would exert great influence
on any recalcitrant nation which
might seek to aggrandize itself at the
expense of another. Nay more, l be-
lieve that such a war as the last could
not have happened with such league
in power If, before the war started
Germany had known that Great Brit
on and the United States were to
enter on the side of the Allies. she
never would have had the nerve to
start. | will grant you that the time
may come when the league would
break up and there would be two COM
binations of powers formed and a gen.
eral war result; but if in the meantime
such league could prevent two or
three wars or even one war, again, |
saw it would be we'll worth while.
I do not believe that the Monroe
Doctrine need to be jeopardized by
such league. The doctrine is based
primarily on the idea that no Euro
pean nation shall gain a foothold on
the American Continent and that it is
the particular busiess of the United
States to see that they do not 1t is
to England's advantage as much as to
the United States that Germany do
not and so it is to the advantage of
the other nations that England do not
and ! believe that the league would
support the United States in uphold
ing the doctrine. 1t might be that |
am wrong and that the league would
fail in that particular case but the
United States is no worse off The
burden would have rested primarily
on it without any such league being
in existence and it has the same bur-
den now, no more, no less. The only
possible argument against the league
in such case is that on account of
mandates of the league the United
States might not be so we'll prepared
as it would have been, but the same
argument rests against that power
which is trying to break the doctrine
1t would be subject to the same man
dates from the league as to prepare
ton. q am taking it for granted that
all the great nations will be in the
league. without which I say no league
can exist) The United States would
not suffer from a disadvantage and
there might be this decided advantage
that it would tend to weld the nations
of North and South America into
more solid agreement and understand
ing.
Another objection urged against
league is that the United States would
have to give up scme of its sovereign
power. Mr.. Taft says that it would
not But | will go so far as to grant
that we might give up little OF our
sovereignty and claim that there
would be no great amount of harm
done Every treaty which the United
States makes with a foreign power it
gives up some of its sovereign power
and we never hear that argument used
against making treaties. For every
particle the United States gives ND it
derives some benefit in return Tho