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

that the question of whether such
forces shall be contributed and what
shall be their amount must ultimately
address itself to the members of the
league for their decision and action.
There is this radical and important
difference, therefore, between the OBJ
legation to lay a boycott and the OBJ
legation to furnish military force, and
doubtless this distinction was insisted
upon and reached by compromise.
The term recommendation" cannot
be interpreted to impose any impera-
tive obligatin on those to whom the
recommendation is directed.
independence of League Members
By Article X, the high contracting
parties undertake to respect and pre-
serve against external aggression the
political independence and the terri
torial integrity of every member OF
the league, and when these are attack
ed or threatened the Executive Coun-
ell is to advise as to the proper means
to fulfill this obligation. The same
acts or series of acts which make
Article X applicable will be breach
of the covenant which creates an out
law nation under Article XVI, so that
all nations must begin a boycott
against any nation thus breaking the
territorial integrity or overthrowing
the independence of a member of the
League Indeed Article X will usu-
ally not be applicable until war
shall be fought to the point showing
its specific purpose. Protection
against it will usually be necessary
in preventing, in a treaty of peace,
the appropriation of territory or the
interference with the sovereignty of
the attacked and defeated nation. We
have seen this in the construction of
the Monroe Doctrine put upon it by
Secretary Seward and President
Roosevelt. The former, when Spain
attacked Chill and Chill appealed to
the United States to protect it, ad-
vised Spain that under the policy of
the United States it would not in
terfere to prevent the punishment by
war of an American nation by a nom
American nation, provided it did not
extend to permanent deprivation of
its territory or an overthrow of it's
sovereignty. President Roosevelt, in
the Venezuelan matter, also announc-
ed that the Monroe Doctrine did not
prevent nations from proceeding by
force to collect their debts provided
oppressive measures were not used
which would deprive the nation of its
independence or territorial integrity.
This furnishes an analogy for the con-
struction of Article X.
The fact that the Executive Council
is to advise what means shall be taken
to fulfil the obligation shows that they
are to be such as each nation shall
deem proper and fair under the cir
cumstances, considering it's remote
ness from the country and the fact
that the nearer presence of other no.
tons should induce them to furnish
the requisite military force. 1t thus
seems to me clear that the question,
both under Article XVIII, and under
Article X, as to whether the United
States shall declare war and what
forces it shall furnish, are RENTED to
the voluntary action of the Congress
of the United States under the con-
stitution, having regard for a fair
division between all the nations of the
burden to be borne under the league
and the proper means to be adopted,
whether by the enjoined and newt
able boycott alone, or by the advance
of loans of money, or by the declara-
ton of war and the use of military