Evening star., 1919-03-22
PURPOSE TO AMEND
S LEAGUE PACT SEEN
Paris Speeches Just Received
Put Preliminary Action in
New Light.
WILSON VIEWS IN DOUBT
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

AoudS tne covenant Is DelHS re.
drawn in Paris. with President Will
son sitting at the head of the table
considering amendments.
Those who got the impression when
the President was here that the cove
nant was not subject to amendment
are wondering whether Mr.. Wilson
was misunderstood in his talk with
senators at the Capitol. when he is
supposed to have taken an uncom-
promising stand on the integrity II
the document, or whether the furore
raised in the United States over the
vague phraseology of the covenant
has brought about change in pur-
pose on the part of the President.
Until it is clear that the United
States will propose amendments to
the covenant the answer will not be
known. Certainly President Wilson
received while he was here, and also
has since received by cable. several
sets of amendments drawn in treaty
language. Until it is known which of
these have been accepted by the Pres
ident the names of the authors of the
suggested changes probably will not
be disclosed.
Speeches in Full Received.
AS for other countries, they have in
tended from the very first to offer
amendments. and President Wilson
cannot have been speaking for them.
but for the American delegation alone
if he did give the impression that no
amendments would be offered to the
document. It is unfortunate that the
texts Of the different speeches where
with the covenant was submitted to
the plenary conference in Paris were
not cabled in full to America. They
have just arrived in Washington and
illustrate very clearly why they are
talking about amendments in Paris
today.
said, in part:
1T seems to me a good omen for the
great project in which we are engag-
ed that before its final completion it
should have been published to the
world and laid before all its people
for their advice and for their criti-
cism."
Thus it will be seen that the chief
representative of the British empire
on the commission that drafted the
covenant regarded it as Incomplete
vice of people everywhere. Signor
Orlando. premier Of Italy. who fol.
lowed Lord Robert. spoke Of the OBJ
jeot Of that days. debate, Ito place
the whole He!heme before the public
opinion Of the world"
Statement for France.
Leon Bourgeois. the representative
Of France. speaking for NJ. Cemen-
ceau and the French government, said.
in part:
Lord Robert Cecil has said we now
present to the conference and the
world the result of our work in the
committee. but we do not present it
as something which is final, but only
as the result of an honest effort, to
be discussed and to be examined not
only by this conference. but by the
public opinion of the world. We are
unanimous in our opinion that this
scheme must be presented to the world
as it resulted from our deliberations.
We must preserve the character oS
unanimity which our vote has given
it. We still retain our rights. when
further discussions take place, to put
more definitely our views on some
details"
Here M. Bourgeois pointed out that
the covenant itself didn't go far
enough, because it didn't limit the size
of ornaments. For France, he be-
lieved this a practical question of
security, and he insisted also that it
was not Sunlclent TO prOEl0e 1Or Cne
combination of nations to oppose an
aggressive nation. but that machinery
for concerted action must be set up
so that the armies and navies of the
signatory powers would be in a posi-
tion to act at once without the delay
which would ensue If left for discus
sion in the various parliaments. His
idea was that while in most cases
the threat of combined resistance
would be sufficient to deter an ag-
eresstve nation, there must be a safe
guard against the contingency in
which one country, believing. it can
win an advantage by a quick thrust
across the border. acts as did Ger
many through Belgium.
For Country's Security.
NJ Bourgeois admitted there might
be constitutional difficulties. but
wanted to see some joint military and
naval action provided for in some
way. Then would France feel secure.
Baron Maxine, the head of the Jap
anese delegation, did not mention the
changes which Japan expected to
make. but that he held the covenant
to be incomplete and subject to i'm
portant amendments appears from
this portion of his speech:
Il beg to add another voice to echo
the congratulatory speeches that have
been made on the presentation Of a
document which ia perhaDS the most