Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-06-23
Today's Letter Takes Up

months after such machinery Tor
peaceful settlement has failed. by
Articles XVI inc XVII a breach OF
such covenants is to be penallzeu py
an immediate and universal poycots
of the covenant-breaking nation anu
then by such military expeditions as
the members of the League snaii ue-
termine necessary on the recommen-
dation of the Council. Unless, there-
fore, the external aggression in vio-
lation of Article Y occurs three
months after attempts at peaceIui
settlement under Articles XII to Nv
have failed so that h covenants OF
those articles are not broken Dy u,
the penalizing provisions OF Articles
XVI and XVII would Apply 10 me
aggression, whether for the purpose
forbidden in Article X or not. In
other words, ArmcleX only increases
the obligations of the members OF tne
League beyond those of Article AEl IN
respect of wars, which do not violate
the covenants of Articles XII, Kill OF
XIV. Article x becomes practically
important, therefore, only after the
purpose of the war has been clearly
disclosed. A wal only for punitive
purposes without taking territory or
oyerthrowing a government would not
violate Article X.
We have seen this exempliied IN
our construction of our W Monroe
Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine, as
originally declared by Monroe, was
Article X limited to the aggression OF
non-American nations against couh-
tries of the Western Hemisphere.
when Spai attacked Chilli during MT.
Stewards in~cumbency as Secretary or
State and Chilli called on the Unlted
States to defend her, Mr.. seward re-
piled that our policy did not look 10
our defending an American state
against any punitive war by a nom
American power, but only against one
intended to take territory or TO de-
strov Mr.. Roosevelt
laid down the same limitation of the
Doctrine in the Venezuela case as
the wars begun merely TO collect n
nancial obligations when they ola not
speak appropriation of territory or
deprivation of independence.
Modified By Other Articles
The intervention of the League un-
der Article X is, therefore, likely 10
be invoked only in cases where the
victor in a war legal" under Articles
XII, XIII and XIV, seeks to impose
terms on its enemy contrary 10 the
undertaking of Article x. In All
other cases, resort to Article X Will
be unnecessary because action under
it will have been anticipated unoer
other articles. Article x. therefore
enlarges the scope of the obligations
Aof the League much less than has
been generally assumed.
Second, should a violation of Arfl-
Gle X accur, and the Council advise a
plan for fulfilling its obligation by the
members of the League, this plan VIII
have 10 be unanimously agreed upon
by the Council. We have constantly
one representative in the Council, who
must thus join in advising the plan.
We can reasonably assume, therefore,
that the plan recommended will not
involve us in military expeditions UNI
reasonably remote Or in~convenient,
and that it will advise our actioa u
that art of the world where we can
most promptly furnish aid and In REX
spect to wars in which by reason og
proximity we naturally haveNa direcp
interest.
The discussion of this article will
be continued in the next letter.