White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-24

| AIN unable 10 understand why sueh
doubts should be entertained. You will
recall thai when l had The pleasure of
Il conference with your COMMITTEES and
will the committee Of The house Of
representatives on foreign affairs at
The White House in March last. the
questions now most frequently asked
about the league of nations were all
c~anyassed. with q view Ia their i'm
mediate Qualification. The covenant
of the league was then IN its first
draft and subject to revision. IL was
pointed out that M express recogni-
/ ion wa given to the Monroe doctrine.
thai il WAS not expressly provided That
the league should have no authority 10
act or To express a judgment on mat
tiers of domestic policy. thai the right
10 withdraw from the league was not
expressly recognized. aud that the cou-
stitntional rights OF The congress To de-
termine all questions of peace and
war was not sufficiently safeguarded.
ON nv return to Paris all these mat
ters were take mp again by the com
| mission or the lea que of nations and
every suggestion OF the United States
was accepted.
The view of the United States with
| regards 10 the questions | have men
| toned had in fact, already been accept
! ed by the commission aud there was
supposed 10 ic nothing inconsistent
with them in the draft of the cove
nant flrst adopted. The draft which was
the subject az our discussion in March
bur no objection was made to anything
explicitly in the teAi that all had sup
posed "a be implicit il IL.
The Monroe doctrine is expressly
I mentioned m an understanding which
il in ITO way 10 be impaired or inter
fered with by anything contained in
the covenant aud the expression re
gional understanding like the Monroe
doctrine. was used. not because any
one of the conference thought there
was any comparable agreement any
where else In exi nee Or in contem=
thought best to afoid the appearance
OF dealing ia such a document with
the policy of a single nation
with regard Il domestic questions.
Article y, 81 OF the covenant express
ly provides that. ii in ease of any
dispute arising hetseen members Of
the league the matter involved is
claimed by one of lie parties and Is
found by the council 10 arise out OF
a matter which b. International Law Is
solely within the domestic jurisdiction
of thai party, the council shall 80 re-
port and shall MAKE 10 recommends
ton a. 10 its settlements. The United
States was by no iaeans tie only gov
ernment interested in The explicit
adoption of this provision. IA there II
no doubt in the mind Of any author
itatise student of international la.
that such matters a. immigration, tar
ifs. and %naturaliza lon are incontest
ably domestic questions with which ma
international body could deal.
The right of any state 10 Withdraw
had been taken for granted, but no
objection was made 10 making 1t ea
plicit Indeed, 80 soon ~ the views
expressed at the White House confer.
ence were laid before the commission
it Wis al once conceded that IL WIS
best not fo leave the answe 10 SO
important "A question to inference. Nc
proposal was made 10 set up any trih
unal 10 pass judgment upon the ques
tion whether "a withdrawing nation has
in faef fulfilled all its international
der the covenant. II was recognized
that thai question u be left 10 he
resolved BY the conscience OF the M
ton proposing 10 withdraw. n l
must say that it did moi seem To me
worth while To propose that the article
b. made more explicit because ! know
thai the United States would never il.
self propose Ia withdraw from the
league if it's conscience was not EN-.
tirely clear AZ Ia the fulfillment of all
it's international obligations. II has
never failed lo fulfil them and never
will.
Article X Il in no respect of doubtful
nleaning when read IN he lfght OF the cove
nant ~ . whole. The council of the league
can only advise upon" the means by which
the oblig atoms Of that great article are TO
be given effect 20. Unless the United States
/. . party Ia the police OF action in question
hsr own affirmative vote in the council -
Necessary before any awe can be given. for
a unanimous vote Of ne council u required
n she 10 . party. the trouble - hers anyhow.
and the unanimous vote Of the council IL only
advice in any case. Zach government "
free To reject Z. II il please. Nothing could
have bssn more clear IN the conference than
the right of our congrss. under our eonsti.
tuition To exercise it, independent Judgment
In all matters Of peace and war. No attempt
Vas made to question or limit that right. The
United States will indeed undertake under
Article K to respect and preserve a. sgsina,
external aggression the territorial integrity
of AL members Of the league and that en-
Ksgensnt constitutes a very grave and sol
emn moral obligation. But II Is . moral.
not . legal oblisatios. and leaves our con.
sress absolutely free 10 put its own interpre-
tatioa upon I, in all Eases that call for
sction.
Article X seems 10 me 10 constitute the
very backbone Of the whole covenant. With
out II the league would be hardly more thar
an influential debating society.