Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1919-05-02
Nation's League Draft Amended.


the peace conference in plenary session has
been made public by the State Department.
Its essential features, including important
amendments designed to meet criticism in
the United States of the original draft,
already had been disclosed through an
official summary issued two weeks ago
when the revision was completed.
Attached to the text, however. is the
hitherto unpublished annex" referred to
in the covenant in which are named the
thirty-two states, including the self-eov-
erning British dominions. which are to be
the original members Of the league Of ma
tons, and thirteen nations to be invited to
accede TO the covenant. The original
members are all the nations which de-
clared war on Germany. and in addition
the new states of Czechoslovakia and
Poland.
Those invited to become members by
acceding to the covenant are the three
Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands.
Switzerland, Spain and Persia. and the
American republics of Argentina, Chile.
Colombia. Paraguay. Salvador and Vene-
zuela.
Mexico was not represented in the con-
ference of neutrals at Paris and. as was
expected. does not appear in the list. Pro-
vision is made in the covenant. however,
for the admission to the league Of any
fully self-eovernins country which will give
required guarantees, upon a two-thirds
vote of the assembly, composed Of repre-
sentatives Of the member nations.
Two cabled corrections upon the text Of
the annex to the covenant were received
later by the State Department. In the list
of original members the name of New
South Wales was eliminated and that of
New Zealand substituted. The word mo"
was inserted in the beginning of the last
sentence to correct an obvious error in
transmission.
AS in the original document. the cove
nant provides that the league shall act
through an assembly, in which each state
shall have one vote and not more than
three delegates, and council. comprising
for the present one representative Of each
of the five great powers and each. Of four
other powers to be selected from time to
time by the assembly. Members of each
class represented on the council may be
increased by unanimous consent of the
council and majority of the assembly.
Publication of the text discloses that the
official summary quoted verbatim the new
article recognizing the Monroe doctrine. 1t
provides that nothing IN the covenant shall
be deemed ITO affect the validity of inter-
national engagements such as treaties Of
arbitration or regional understandings like
the Monroe doctrine for securing the main
tenance of peace" This was the amend
ment for which President Wilson made a
successful fight at the same time the
Japanese delegation to the peace confer
ence sought vainly to have race-equality
provision inserted in the covenant.
Changes suggested in criticisms in the
United States Senate add provisions for
withdrawal Of member nation upon two
years notice after fulfillment Of the league
obligations exempt domestic questions
from the leagues jurisdiction. provide that
manufactures over German colonies or form
er Ottoman dominions shall be given only
to nations willing to accept them, leave it
to members of states to decide what armed
force if any 1t will contribute to the force
required by the league to enforce its man
dates. and make it clear that member
states individually will pass upon proposed
limitations upon their ornaments.
With notifications. the new draft in
cludes all the provisions for the submission
to the council of International disputes, fol-
inviting non-member nations to accept the
obligations of members for the purpose oil
adjusting disputes and for breaking eco.
nomic relations or the use of armed force
in dealing with state which has broker
the covenant and thereby committed "aT
act of war against the league"
Except in certain specified instances
unanimous agreement is required for al
decisions. In the provisions for the settle
ment of disputes it is set forth that thu
votes must be unanimous, excepting tn,
representatives Of the parties TO the dis
pute.
Geneva, Switzerland, is named as the
seat of the league, where the secretary
general will maintain headquarters anC
where the council and assembly will NEE
at stated intervals. unless some other plact
of meeting is designated.
ORIGINAL MEMBERS Or The LEAGUE.
United States, Belgium. Bolivia, Brazil
British Empire. Canada. Australia. Soutl
Africa, New Zealand, India China. Ecua
dor. Czechoslovakia. France. Greece, Qua
temala, Haiti. Hedjaz, Honduras. Italy
Japan, Liberia. Nicaragua, Panama. Peru
Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Serbia, Siam
Uruguay.
STATES INVITED To JOIN.
Argentina. Chill. Colombia. Denmark
Netherlands, Norway. Paraguay. Persia
Salvador. Spain. Sweden. Switzerland
Venezula.
STATES Nor INVITED To JOIN.
Germany. Mexico Austria. Costa RIGA
Russia. Santo Domingo. Bulgaria. Turkey
Hungary.
The revised covenant of the league o
nations was adopted by the plenary SEES
sion Of the peace conference without divis
ion and without amendment. The cove
nant had been moved by President Wilson
Presentation Of the amended covenan
by the President marked the opening O
the session. He then explained the vari
Gus alterations.
The President moved that the Power
name representatives to form committee
of nine to prepare plans to organize tn
LEAGUE and establish the seat of the lea due