The sun., 1919-03-07
Fighting . League That Is Wrong
to Get q League That Is Right.

Our neighbor the World, denounc-
Ing the legislative opposition to Mr..
WILSON'S particular league scheme.
speaks of "the last ditch Senators who
have determined that In no circum-
stances will they submit to a League
of Nations"
No description of the Senators who
are In conflict with Mr.. WILSON on
this question could he more grossly
false. II Is not fact, the World
knows It Is not fact, that those SEN
ators are opposed to any league what
ever, under any circumstances what
| ever.
Those Senators are opposed to the
particular form Of this particular
league which Is visionary and i'm
practicable. They are opposed to
the particular form of this par
ticular league which, pretending to
prevent war, will not prevent war
They are opposed to the particular
form Of this particular league which.
making the United States largely re-
sponsible for the affairs of the
whole world. could eend the United
States against its will into war with
It's nearest nelghbor and dearest
friend. They are opposed to the par
ticular form Of this particular league
which would permit Europe and Asia
and Africa or some combination of
| such elements to use the United States
| for any purpose, however abhorrent It
might be to our own principles and
our own ideals, however destructive
it might be of the liberties for which
we have lived and worked and fought
as a nation for nearly a century and
half.
Those Senators who are in oppo-
sition to Mr.. WILSON'S particular
league and Its particular form are
not fighting any and every form OF
league, good, bad or indifferent.
They are fighting league that is
wrong to get league that Is right.
They don't want, on the one hand,
| a league that is unsound, unavoidable
or dangerous. They do want. on the
other hand, league or covenant or
something that will prevent war, II
anything. can be devised TO prevent
war. They do want an instrument or
| an agreement that will curb the ag-
gression of the strong. protect the
weak, and serve the interests of man.
kind. They do want an international
court or an international something
that will work practically and eff
GENTLY, at the sacrifice Of none and
for the good Of all.
So do the American people as a
whole want something that will do or
strive to do what needs to be done to
preserve the peace of the world with
out at the same time sacrificing the
sovereignty and imperllling the indie
pendence of the nation. 1t would be
as truthful to say that such American
people, opposed to Mr.. WILSON'S par
| NOulu
20 circumstances to any league of
nations as 1t is for the World to de-
clare what 1t declares about those
Senators.
Our neighbor the World also likens
the making and accepting of our own
Constitution, with its differences of
opinion, its turmoil of debate, Its
gloom of prophecy, to this making and
accepting of the international constl-
tuition. But no comparison could be
more crackbrained.
When all is snid and done, no mat
ter what our own Constitution pos.
sessed or lacked, no matter whether
1t seemed to be- workable or unwork-
able, no matter whether 1t was right
or wrong, no matter whether It would
prove to he a blessing or curse, there
was nobody who did not know that