Norwich bulletin., 1919-08-20

Washington Aug. 1e.-Presiden
 Wilson, interpreting the League oi
 Nations covenant today for the sen
 ate foreign relations committee, de
 ciared 1t imposed no legal obIigati
 Tor the use of American military forc'
 in protecting the territory or indepen
 oence of any other, nation.
 But he added that the covenant
 nhght involve, m certain circum.
 stances an 'absolutely compelling moral obligation which might be ever stronger than q legal promise.
 dressed for a more exact definition by committee members who insisted that the whole arrangement was "a rope of sand" he asserted that on the contrary he considered it as plac- frg the nations in "an attitude of com radeship and protection" which would compel respect for the principles of justice and liberty.
 Meeting the committed in a round table discussion in the East room of the White House. in contradiction to tl1e, 'precedents of more than century and with the whole nation listening through the medium of a relay of pub lie stenographers. the president went into many of the details of the peace negotiations and touched on all the hotly.. debated questions which have divided the senate in it's considera- ton of the peace treaty.
 Article Ten of the covenant. guar a1teeinS the integrity of league mem-
 
 would leave to each nation complete freedom of choice as to the appliea -- ticn Of force" Even if the American representative cn the council joined military action the final decision for peace or war must rest so far as con cerned the United States with con gross. he said.
 Whatever advice. the council gave under it's authority to take such ac- tion as is "deemed appropriate" must @lso4-be deemed appropriate by the United States to be binding on this government, he argued, though in the background would be such a poten tiai moral force that he doubted if the nation would often decline to act.
 The president revealed thar Japan's promise to return Shantung province tO China was reuced to written form in the minutes of the peace confer ence- He asserted he had every con- hdence" that the promise would be carried out and told the senators it ] was '-the best that could be got" out en notice she would withdraw from 1 the conference if her demands were l refused. The American delegates. he | said, had tried to keep the nation i Iree.- from obligation in Europe af- 1 falrs 50 far as it was honorably pos sfbie 10 do so." but the assented that l t might be necessary to keep some | American troops in the Rhine district | inder the treaty for the next fifteen Tears.
 H.e< declared the nation would be its ,vn sole judge whether its obligations lad been fulfilled under the disputed ] wal clause of the league coven- mt; that purely domestic questions were safe from the leagues inter | erence; and that the Monroe Doct- inc was clearly preserved. The league, the president explained ! vas built on the plan of General smuts of South Africa.
 MT. Wilson revealed that he had suggested the United States take no art of the German reparation, but lad asked that the conference re- ! erve disposition of the German Paci- Ic island of YaD on suggestion that was needed for an American naval tation.
 Some of the senators questions the resident declined to answer on the round of international policy. How he. American delegates voted on Ja- ans proposal tor a racial equality lause in the league covenant he said e could not disclose "in the interest [ ihterna tionals good understanding" nd for the same reason he said he