The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1919-08-21

and subject to revision. 1t was pointed
that no express recognition was
given to the Monroe Doctrine, that it
was not expressly provided that the
league should have no authority to act
or to express a judgment ON matters
Of domestic policy, that the right to
withdraw from the league was not ex-
pressly recognized, and that the con-
stitutional rights of the congress to
determine all questions Of peace and
war was not sufficiently s%afeguarded.
On my return to Paris all these mat
tiers We're taken up again by the com
mission of the league of nations and
every suggestion Of the. United States
was accepted.
THE views OF the United States
with regard to the questions l have
mentioned had. in fact, already been
accepted by the commission, and there
was supposed to be nothing tnconsis-
tent with them in the draft Of the
covenant first adopted, the draft which
was the subject of u discussion in
March, but no objection was made to
saying explicitly in the text what all
had supposed to be implicit in it.
1.-THE Monroe Doctrine is expressly
mentioned as an understanding which
is in no way to be impaired or inter
Tered with by anything contained in
the covenant, and the expression,
regional understanding like the Mon
ZOE Doctrine was used, not because
anv011d nj fha nnnparn,o, th,,CIr tl,-,,n
was any comparable agreement any
where else in existence or in CON
temptation, but only because it was
thought business to avoid the appear
ance Of dealing in such Il document
with the policy of a single nation.
with regard to domestic questions,
Article NN1V of the covenant express
ly provides that, i. in cast Of any dis
pute arising between members of the
league the matter involved is claimed
by n OF the parties and is found by
tile council TO arise out of a matter
which by International law is solely
within the domestic jurisdiction Of
that party, the council shall so report
and shall make no recommendation as
to It's settlements. The United States
was by no means the only government
interested III the explicit adoption OF
this provision, and there is no doubt
in the mind OF any authoritative stu,
dent OF international law that such
matters as immigration, tariffs, and
naturalization are incontestably do
nestle Questions with which no inter
national body could deal.
THE right of any state to withdraw
had been taken for granted but no
objection was made to making it eX-
plicit. Indeed SO soon as the views ex-
pressed at the White House conference
were laid before the committee it was
at once conceded that it was business
not to leave the answer to SO impor-
tant a question to inference. NJ pro-
posal was made to set up any tribunal
to pass Judgment upon the question
where Il Withdrawing nation has in
fact fulfilled all Its international
obligations and all its obligations un-
der the covenant 1t was recognized
that the question must be left to be
resolved by the conscience of the
nation proposing 10 withdraw, and J
must say that II did not seem to me
worth while to propose that the article
be made more explicit because ] know
that the United Suites would never
itself propose to withdraw from the
league If its conscience was not en-
tire'y clear as to the fulfllment Of all
its international obligations. 1t has
never failed to fulfill them and never
will.
"Article X is in no respect Of doubt
full meaning when read in the light Of
the covenant as u whole. The council
of the league can only advise upon. the
means by whicl. the obligations of
that great article are to he given
effect to. Unless the United States Is
a party to the policy or action in ques-
ton her own affirmative vote in the
council IS necessary before any advice
Il be given, for Il unanimous vote Of
the council is required. Ii she is Il
party, the trouble is here anyhow, and
the unanimous vote of the council IS
only advice in any case. Each govern
ment is free to reject 1t If 1T pleases.
Nothing could have been more clear
to the conference than the right Of our
congress, under the constitution, to
exercise its independent judgment in
all matters of peace aud a No at
tempt was made to question or limit
that right. The United States will.
indeed, undertake under Article y to
respect and preserve as against ex-
terna! aggression the territorial in
tegrity and existing political %independ.
enCc OF all members Of the leagne, and
that engagement constitutes a very
grave and solemn moral obligation.
But II is Il moral, not d legal Obliga-
ton, and leaves our congress abS0-
lutely free to put its WI interpreter
zion upon it in All cases that call Tor
action.
Article \ seems to me to constitute
the very backbone Of the whole coveu-
art, Without it rhc league would be
hardly more than an influential debut-