The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-26
SETS FORTH
LEAGUES DEFECTS
Noted Philadelphia Attorney
Tells What Senate Can Do
to Save Nation.
SEES ENGINE OF TYRANNY
Covenant in Present Shape Is
Usurpation Of Rights I'M
der Constitution.

ihet tne Cnlteu States senate 8hOul0
at once notify the Peace Conferencs to
submit separately for It's consideration
The covenant OF the League Of Ma
ticns and the Treaty Of Peace, In or
der that responsibility for the possible
|rejection Of q pact dangerous to Amer
lea should be placed where It belongs.
10 the suggestion made yesterday by
George Wharton Pepper Of Philadelphia.
Mr.. Pepper, a noted lawyer Of the
Quaker City. has been one Of the lead
Ing opponents OF League OF Nations
pact which would delegate to q voting
trust largely mad, up Of foreigners. the
power of overriding the Constitution OF
the United States. In an interview given
60 THE SUN yesterday he not only set
forth succinctly the principal objections
70 the revised document but specined
what are, In his opinion, the exact duties
OF the Senate.
His objections % the covenant RAINY
principally around one point, that the
covenant sets up executive usurpation.
and he argues that II President Wilson
refuses to heed the protests OF tho Sem
ate that action In itself will be an ex-
ample OF the Executive usurpation Of
which he complains. Mr.. Pepper said:
The world IL war weary and peace
hungry. These facts the Senate viii not
FOR moment forget. On the contrary,
the Senators may be trusted to keep
steadily in view two fundamental prin-
ciples without which peace talk becomes
mere twaddle.
Strong Action I. E..ents.p
"One principle is this: That the yiEor-
Gus execution of the provisions or the
peace treaty demands the same kind of
strong executive action that is necessary
10 the successful conduct of a war. Give,
therefore, to the international commits.
sionB set up by the treaty broad and
far reaching powers. just as In war time
We turned over railroad. telegraph, food
md fuel control to the President and his
Cabinet and temporarily relegated Con-
gress and the Supreme Court to a place
OF minor Importance.
The other principle Is that to set up
Tor peace time a scheme OF Government
in which to the Executive Is given these
broad powers as permanency Is to con-
struct an engine Of tyranny to which no
more apt name can be given than kaiser
ism
The structure of the proposed Leaxus
OF Nations has as its keystone the su-
preme Executive Council or cabinet of
nine nations dominated by five. The
covenant sets up no court for the COM
pulsory decision OF questions of law 1t
creates an imitation legislature. the As
sembly of Nations. which has substan-
tally the same relation to the executive
cabinet as the German Reichstag had to
the Kaiser. The executive cabinet Is in
effect a perpetual voting trust, a device
for keeping in few hands the control of
international afrairs. Every interna-
tional dispute which 10 not voluntarily
arbitrated must go before the voting
trust. and may by Il be finally settled
The disa pponted disputant Is bound by
its decision.
Ingenious and disingenuous explain
ations have led multitudes OF people,
ana particularly women, to believe that
the league covenant II a document
which extends TO the whole world q
benehcent governmental plan in har-
mony with American ideals of constitu-
ticnal government In point of fact,
the document Is a challenge to the in
felligence OF women who are rightfully
Iclamortng for the franchise. II they
cannot distinguish between the crystal
tsed Kaisersm Of the league covenant
and the safeguarded democracy Of our
own Constitution, they are not fit to be
trusted with the vote.
IF American citizens have not
learned the Importance of protecting
themselves by courts and legislatures
against Executive usurpation, then our
n ufa - -,