The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-20
DUAL SOVEREIGNTY rs Ar
ABSURDITY.
Sovereignty Cannot BE Surrendered or
Delegated and Continue 20 Exist


To THE EDITOR or THE suN--sr: The
friends and followers OF President
Lowell and ex-President Taft are
greatly surprised, to put It mildly. that
two such sane leaders OF public thought
should persist in advocating a PROPOSE
ton which practical statesmen have
long since discarded as fallacious and
which has already brought shipwreck
to President Wilson's plans and dreams
in Paris.
refer to the proposition that the
nations OF the world can organize a
League OF Nations and ciothe It with
authority and power-in short, with
sovereignty. and at the same time retain
their own sovereignties. This conten-
ton Is based upon tho theory that
sovereignty 10 Invisible. that II 10 a thing
! that can be distributed among and
shared with various organizations. A
little reflection will chow that practi-
caliy and historically speaking this Is
not the case. Sovereignty 10 the right
OF a nation, backed UP by power. to
control It's own destiny. II Is the ST.
preme attribute Of nationality and to
exist at all It must be absolute. COM
plete and unrestrained by any external
power. Now a real League of Nations
IN order TO exist at all must be
clothed with sufficient authority and
power TO control effectually the field Of
political operations II is created to cover.
This will not be disputed. The field II
10 designed to cover is a vast one, for II
includes substantially all Of the inter-
national relations OF the constituent ma
tons. II involves the right and power
| to make international laws. TO settle
| international disputes and to enforce
its DEGREES II involves the power to
declare and carry on war and to I'm.
pose terms upon the nations II conquers
II must be an organization of tremen-
dous power. President Wilson was right
when he said on January ~. 1917:
II will be absolutely necessary that .
force be created. as guarantee OF th'
permanency Of the settlement so mucf
greater than the force Of any nation nov
engaged In en- alliance hitherto formed
or projected that no nation. no probable
combination Of nations, could face Of
Withstand t.
President Wilson's idea at that timt
was that such an organization should
be powerful enough to discipline ant
coerce the most powerful member Of th'
league, should Il become recalcitrant
Should the United States, for example
become recalcitrant and break ava!
from the league. II requires no argu
ment TO show that II would take a vas
force in the hands Of the league L
discipline her.
II 10 not enough to confer upon tn
league the right merely TO make recon
mendations. Experience has shown tina
this will not work when an organiza
ton as above outlined IL actually forrne'
all questions and discussions about tn
constitutional right of Congress to de
clare war will be eliminated. That righ
will he given up when the league Il
formed, otherwise there will be n
league. The United States when
Joins in the formation of such leagu
by this very act must d!vest itself
all authority over the field Of our In
ternational affairs. The contention o
Mr.. Taft and President Lowell tina
3 Congress will still have the power afte
J such a league IL formed to honor o
; / dIshonor n decree of the league
nothing short Of Intellectual legerde
main. II any trace of that power
left In Congress when the league
formed We may be sure that the Ieagu
will have no effective existence.
Mr.. Taft undertakes to draw
parallel between an individual In %
ciety and nation in the league Q
> Nations, and states that as the forme
must give up some part Of his right
/ for the good OF the community. so mus
a nation forcgo come of It's rights &c
. the good Of international society. / sui
NIT that no fair analogy can be draw
between an individual in society and
state in the International society. &c
reasons that are obvious.
Were Mr. Taft so disposed. howeve
! he could draw q very fair and usef,
analogy between the experience Of u
thirteen colonies in forming the FEEDERS
Union and the undertaking now und'
discussion. He will not do this becau'
he knows that such an analogy will
fatal to his contention.
a Ono of the main purposes for convoi
p ing our constitutional convention VS.
70 eliminate the friction and connic
which were already arising between Il
= colonies and to bring about great
= harmony and cooperation among thor
9 Similar motives inspire the advocate
q Of the League OF Nations. The oontr
o versy which arose at hat time on Il
subject OF sovereignty and which rage
n for three quarters OF a century Their
s after In this country is fresh In q
o minds of all. The colonies forming Il
o Constitution. and many States Of Il
Z Union. thereafter cherished the falla'
: that they could create federal unit
n and clothe II with supreme authority
g Federal affairs. and at the same tin
a retain their own sovereignties. 1t T
a ouired great civil war to teach 4
= American people, that there IL but o.
d sovereignty in this country. The rest
4; is that nothing Is now Heard of the so
d ereign rights of the States OF the Unto
= For all practical purposes the Amer'c;
o States are no more sovereign than &
- counties Of England or the provinces
d France. Practically speaking. so-call
d dual sovereignty is an absurdi:y.
II LEBBEUs r. WILFLEr.
NEW YoRK, February -.