The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-04-11

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The following is an address by
Mr.. Taft explaining the need of a
leauge of nations and in a general
way answering critics of the plan.
Under the sub-ehadings every phase
of the plan and its operation is
covered very ably so we reproduce
it in full for the benft of those who
do not feel informed on the matter.
We are here tonight in sight of a
League of Peace, of what have ever
regarded as the promised Land"
Such a war as the last is a hideous
blot on our Christian civilization. The
inconsistency is as foul as was slavery
under the Declaration of Independ-
ence. If Christian nations cannot now
be brought into a united effort to
suppress a recurrence of such con-
test it will be a shame to modern
society.
General Arbitration Treaties
During my administration I at
versal arbitration between this coun-
try and France and England, by which
all issues depending for their settle
ment upon legal principles were to be
submitted to an international court
for final decision. These treaties
were emasculated by the Senate,
yielding to the spirit which proceeds,
unconsciously doubtless, but truly
from the conviction that the only
thing that will secure to a nation the
justice it wishes to secure is force ;
that agreements between nations to
settle controversies justly and peace
ably should never be given any weight
in national policy; that in dealing be-
tween civilized nations we must as
sumo that each nation is conspiring
to deprive US of our independence and
our prosperity; that there is no I'M
partial tribunal to which we can en-
trust the decision of any question
vitality affecting our interests or our
honor, and that we can afford to
make no agreement from which we
may not Immediately withdraw, and
whose temporary operation to our
detriment may not be expressly a
ground for ending it. This is the doc
trine of despair. 1t leads necessarily
to the conclusion that our only re-
course to avoid war is competitive
armament, with it's dreadful burdens
and it's constant temptation to the
war it seeks to avoid.
Limitation of Armaments
The first important covenant with
reference to peace and war in the
Constitution of the league is that
looking to a reduction of armament
by all nations. The Executive Coun-
Gil, consisting of representatives of
the United States, the British En-
pire, France, Italy, Japan, and of
four other nations to be selected by
the body of delegates, is to consider
how much the ornaments of the ma
tons shuld be reduced, having regard
to the safety of each of the nations
and their obligations under the league.
Having reached a conclusion as to
the proportionate limits of each ma
tons armament, it submits its con-
clusion to each nation, which may or
may not agree to the limit thus rec
commended; but when an agreement is
reached it covenants to keep within
that limit until, by application to the
Executive Council, the limit may be
raised. In other words, each ma
ton agrees to its own limitation.
Having so agreed, it must keep within
it.
The importance Of providing for a
reduction of armament every one
recognizes. 1t is affirmed in the new
" proposed Senate resolution. Can
we not trust our Congress to fix a
limitation safe for the country and
to stick to it? If we can't, no coun-
try can. Yet all the rest are anxious
to do this and they are far more eX-
posed than we.
The character of this obligation IS
affected by the time during which
the covenants Of the league remain
binding. There is no stipulation as
to how long this is. In my judgment
there should be a period of ten years
or a permission for any number Of
the league to withdraw from the
covenant by giving a reasonable no
tice of one or two years of its in
tention to do so.
Peaceful Settlement
The members of the league and the
non-members are required, the form
err by their covenant, the latter by
an enforced obligation to submit all
differences between them not capable